Deoxys Hunter Squad
by Furyfur
Summary: Renee is terrified of Pokemon, so who finds her? Two friends who make her become a trainer, that's who! The gang meets a boy named Disu, who is kidnapped by an alien! Renee's family is dying, people are losing their minds, and on top of that, boy trouble!
1. Turtwig, Piplup, and Chimchar

**Deoxys Hunter Squad**

**A/N: Yeah, I've made a Sinnoh adventure story. I really hope you saw this coming at some point, because if you didn't, you don't know me at all. I know this is a FF cliché, but mine's going to be way different. Just look at the title...**

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The sun set deep in the Hoenn region, summoning the end of the day once more. Wild Pidgey snuggled into their nests, huddling with one another. A group of Zubat sensed the darkness and flew out of their cave to search for food. Far away, a group of scientists were creating a truly amazing machine, one that could alter the DNA of a space virus to result in a clone of a Pokemon. They added a hair of a Clefairy to the base of the giant microscope-like machine and pulled a level the size of the scientist's arm. The lens-like piece started to buzz and was surrounded by a blue, bubbly and yet gas-like substance. The goop shot upward toward the night sky, causing the machine itself to quiver and glow. The scientists exchanged nervous glances: The machine was supposed to send a beam of light to the sky. This obviously wasn't right. As the machine went from quivering harmlessly to shaking violently, the scientists decided it was the time to back up to avoid injury.

Just as they started to run away, the blue substance turned red and a screeching sound filled the entire city. Before any of them could react, the entire machine erupted and the room filled with smoke. For a minute, no one stirred, until one of them rose. The red beam was gone and the machine was in pieces; a glowing being had replaced it. The being was mostly red but had one green arm. The other arm was split into two string-like sticks. There was a jewel-shaped hole in its chest. As the glowing decreased, the being was replaced with a boy. He had jet-black hair and an evil look on his face. He reached out toward every one of the scientists and, one-by-one, placed his hand on their heads and they collapsed as he did so. Grinning to himself, he turned around and walked out of the wrecked laboratory, searching for his next victim.

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Renee was a ten-year-old brunette who wore a black shirt with a pink belt and hot-pink jeans. She had a hairclip above her eye that resembled three pink hearts. Her hair, due to her part that shifted half her hair to the left side, just barely hung above her view. She was wearing pink-and-white sneakers with no laces.

Walking loudly down the stairs and humming "Happy Birthday to Me", she swung her head over to her grandmother, her shoulder-length hair dropping in her face. Pushing it out, she called to her: "Good morning, grandma!" She paused and looked concerned. "Do you feel all right?"

Her grandmother, who was reaching the end of her life, looked up at her from the couch she was lying on and her wrinkles lifted upward in a smile. "Of course, Renee, I was just feeling a little dizzy," she said in a cracked voice. The happiness inside Renee dropped dramatically.

"Where's mother?" she asked, looking around. Her mother worked for a science group in the Hoenn region. Renee didn't approve of what she did, but her mother was the only family she would have once Grandma died. Her mother had left two months ago and was supposed to be back last night. Renee had tried to wait for her, but fell asleep as she imagined what would happen when she came back.

Her grandmother didn't answer.

"Can you hear me okay?" Renee asked a little louder, trying not to sound angry.

"Yes, I can hear you."

"Where's mother?"

"Honey...Your mother was in an accident."

This wasn't the response Renee expected. "She was in a what?" Not waiting for an answer, she ran up to the couch. "Is she okay? She's alive? Is she going to be back soon? She's not..._dead_, is she?"

"No, she's alive!" Grandma said quickly, not wanting to make her grandchild cry. "Of course she's alive! But..."

"But what?!" Renee said in a quivering voice, her tone getting higher as she panicked.

"She's lost her mind," Grandma said quietly.

"She lost her mind?!" Renee shouted in disbelief.

"The doctors think something exploded, because the lab was destroyed, but no one died. Every single one of them lost their minds and couldn't remember who they were."

"Including mother?!"

"It's all right, Renee."

"No, it's not all right! We're pretty much completely alone as it is, I don't want to lose--"

"We're not alone, Renee. You have me and I have you."

"But you're--" Renee started, but then she broke off. Grandma and Renee stared at each other for a second, Renee's face getting red and her eyes watering.

"I know," Grandma said softly. "But even so, you have a lot of friends..."

"I only have one, and he hates me!"

"No, he doesn't, you just never take the time to talk to him."

"Then what am I going to do?! I'm barely ten, I can't take care of myself!"

Grandma looked at her sternly. "Renee, have you ever considered becoming a Pokemon trainer?"

Renee's lip curled. "Not a chance. Why?"

"Because if you could become a Pokemon trainer, you could take care of yourself." Renee opened her mouth to protest, but Grandma continued. "I know you think you've made up your mind, but please consider it. I can't hang around here much longer. You can't say no now and change your mind later. Today is the only tenth birthday you'll ever have. You have one chance to say yes and a whole life ahead of you. You need to live it to its fullest extent. And don't be afraid, some Pokemon are different than others."

Renee pictured herself with a ball of slime at her foot, trying to command it to attack a great dragon. A shiver went down her spine as the slime ball multiplied ten times its size and swallowed her...

"NO!" Renee shouted. "NEVER! I will _never _do that, I don't care how 'different' you say Pokemon can be! We live with one already, and if I was holding my entire life on Purugly winning a battle, I'd be done for!"

"But you won't use--"

"I _know _how it works, Grandma, and no Pokemon will quite cut it! I'll never fall for those tricks again! I'm _never _going to trust a Pokemon!!" Renee screamed. The phone started to ring, making her jump. She swung around, grabbed it, and pressed the button. "_What?!_"

"R-Renee?" a boy's voice said on the other line, shaking with fear. "I-I-I'm sorry for disturbing you, I-I j-just...This _is _Renee, isn't it?"

Renee blushed and lowered her voice as she stuttered from embarrassment. "Oh! B-Barry, I-I-I'm so sorry, me and my grandmother were j-just arguing...Yes, i-it's me, something I can do for you?"

"Are you alone right now?"

Renee looked at Grandma with hatred in her eyes. "Physically, no, but mentally, yes."

Barry, who did not understand this at all, didn't answer. Renee heard him breathing through the phone. Apparently he was listening for another voice.

"No, I'm not alone," Renee said patiently. "But I'll go up to my room now."

"Great. When you're up there, put me on speaker."

Renee climbed up the stairs, sat down on her bed, and hit the speaker button. "Okay."

"I was watching the news just a minute ago. It's a shame your mother lost her memory."

Renee's heart pounded. Barry had always tried his best to understand her, which was sweet, but he couldn't relate at all and usually just ended up offending her by accident. But still, Renee always reminded herself that it was the thought that counted, and Barry was trying his best to be her friend.

"Oh...I'll be all right."

"You know what? I bet the explosion had something to do with a certain Pokemon!"

_And there it is, _Renee told herself. _He's trying to be helpful but he isn't._

"Really? You think so?" Renee humored him, staring at the ground and looking for away to cheer herself up.

"I think so. And judging by the newscast that followed that story, I bet it was a Pokemon with special powers, like..._the Red Gyarados_!"

"That's a myth, Barry," Renee sighed.

"I knew you'd be sad about your mom, which makes me wish I could do something, so I'm going to investigate! You and I are going to Lake Verity to find the Red Gyarados!"

Renee swallowed a lump in her throat. "I was afraid you'd do that."

"Come on...Aren't you wondering how it happened?"

"Well, yes, but even if it were a Pokemon..."

"You're scared, aren't you?" Barry teased. "It's all right, today is my tenth birthday just like yours, so I'll get my first Pokemon to defend us!"

If a Pokemon was going with them, that only made things much harder. "No, Barry, my grandma and I are going to visit my mother."

"Liar," Barry rebounded coldly. "You're always looking for an excuse not to hang out with me."

_That's not true, _Renee told herself as tears slowly leaked down her cheeks. _You're going to be the last one I have, Barry, I couldn't ask for a better friend..._

"Are you crying?" Barry asked quickly, his brusque tone leaving him. "I didn't mean to make you cry. I'm just lonely and wanted to play with you, just like in kindergarten. We were best friends! Don't cry, Renee..."

"I'm not crying!" Renee snapped, but the shaking of her voice gave her away. "Of course I'll go with you! B-But we're not going to find anything, so don't even bother bringing a Pokemon!"

"Fine," Barry said softly. "Meet me at the edge of the town. If you're late, you better believe I'll fine you. Happy birthday." Renee heard the click of him hanging up and hung up as well. Then she buried her face in her arms and curled up in a ball. Grandma didn't understand her, nor did Barry, her mother didn't even remember her, and she was still faced with the choice to become a Pokemon trainer or not. Of course not! She wasn't going to risk being killed _again_! She started to drift off to sleep...

"Mrrow."

"GET OUTTA MY ROOM, PURUGLY!"

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"Renee, dinner!" her grandmother's voice called from downstairs. Renee woke with a start and checked the time.

"IT'S FIVE ALREADY?!" she shouted to herself, as if anyone would care to listen. She fixed her hair hopelessly and flung herself downstairs. "Grandma--I--have--to--meet--Barry--bye!!" she called before grabbing her pink shoulder bag and dashing out the door. She ran to the very edge of Twinleaf Town where she saw the blonde boy dressed in his usual orange outfit waiting with a disgusted look on his face.

"There you are. I've been waiting for five hours and counting!"

"I'm so sorry!" Renee pleaded. "I fell asleep!"

"Well, I meant what I said, so you owe me a million dollars."

"_What_?!"

"A million."

"Urgh, I hate you! You bring me all the way out here to look for a fairy tale, and because I'm late, you charge me a million dollars!! How many comic books have you read, anyway?! Say you're sorry!" Renee scolded.

"It's not like you to get angry, and you should be the one apologizing!" Barry snapped. "It's thanks to you I'm never going to be a Pokemon trainer! If we don't hurry, the lab in Sandgem will close up! Come on!" Barry grabbed Renee's hand and pulled her toward Lake Verity. "I want to become the greatest Pokemon trainer in the world! What do you want to do?" he asked while running, his harsh attitude gone.

"I wanna go home, that's what I want to do!" Renee shouted, trying to rip her hand out of Barry's tight grip. "Now cut it out, you're crushing my fingers--!!"

"Hey! HEY! You two lovebirds!" a voice called. "Do you two know where you're going?! Don't you know what's in Lake Verity?!"

Barry didn't even stop running or turn around before he shouted, "DON'T CALL US LOVEBIRDS!!!" and Renee tried her hardest to stop but only succeeded in falling flat on her face and just barely slowing Barry down before he skidded to a halt. "Are you okay?"

The voice laughed. Renee turned around where she was lying to see a boy with bluish hair and a red beret. He was wearing a black jacket with white sleeves and a red scarf. He was smiling, and his blue eyes twinkled. Renee blushed; he was very handsome.

"Do you know where you're going?" he asked, still smiling. "Not Lake Verity! Don't you know it's dangerous?"

"Yeah, we're going to Lake Verity, what's it to you?" Barry rebounded, seeing some sort of threat in him.

"I'm Lucas," the boy said. "And you are?"

"What's it to you?" Barry asked again.

"I'm Renee and this is Barry," Renee said, ignoring Barry's stubbornness. Barry tried to shut her up, but Renee stopped him with a hand to the face. "Did you say it was dangerous?"

"Surely you've heard of the Red Gyarados?" Lucas said, walking closer to them.

"HA!" Barry shouted, making both Lucas and Renee jump. "I knew it! I told you so, Renee! We may find the secret of your mother's death after all!"

"But she isn't dead, Barry..."

"Shh, don't spoil it now! This is just another everyday danger for detective Barry! And when our adventure is over, we'll find out that she isn't really dead...this is just like kinder, Renee, except more violent!"

"Your mother's dead?" Lucas asked, his smile disappearing.

"No, but Barry will be in a second," Renee said under her breath. "You're not a detective, Barry, so shut up--!!"

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"Oh, I see," Lucas said, his smile returning. "Your mother was caught up in that. It's really terrible, I'd like to say I feel your pain, but I can't relate..."

_At least he's honest about it, _Renee thought.

"Looky here, Lucas, we're going to Lake Verity to find the Red Gyarados and there's nothing you can do about it! That's because it's none of your business!" Barry snapped, folding his arms and puffing out his chest.

"I wasn't talking to you. I was talking to Renee," he said back. He turned back to Renee and smiled again. "I'll let you guys go if you really want to, but I have to warn you, there were three explosions reported in the past half hour."

Barry didn't believe a word of this, but Renee was only panicking more and more.

"Then how come I couldn't hear them? I was standing right over there and I didn't see any explosion!"

"That's because no one did. The only people who saw it were investigating Lake Verity at the time..." He lowered his voice. "..._searching for the Red Gyarados_."

Barry gasped, apparently starting to believe his story, but the crap about the Red Gyarados didn't scare Renee at all. For her, she would be terrified to see it, of course, but no more or less than a normal Gyarados. From her point of view, all Pokemon were bad, not depending on their color at all.

"So, I was sent to check the place out," Lucas whispered. "And to stop any people from trying to get into the area. Of course, since your friend seems so terribly _eager _to get there--" He made a motion with his head toward Barry, who gaped in fear. "--I guess I can let you two go, as long as you stick with me."

Barry shook his head, determined not to be humiliated. "We don't need your help!" he barked.

Lucas leaned up really close to him, so their noses we inches apart. "Do _you _have a Pokemon?"

"Y-Yes!" Barry lied.

"Well then," Lucas said, backing away, "I'll protect Renee, and you can try to fight the Red Gyarados off yourself!"

"Sounds good to me!" Barry said, staring toward the sky and trying to look tough. Renee didn't know what was funnier: Lucas's belief in such a stupid myth or Barry's intentions of convincing Lucas he had a Pokemon strong enough to take down a Gyarados.

As Barry worked his way through the trees to make a clear path to the lake, Lucas and Renee chatted with each other, paying no attention to how many cuts Barry was getting on his arms. When they finally reached the lake and looked at Barry, they had no idea how his hair turned so bushy and green or how it sprouted thorns.

"Here we are," Barry said between exasperated gasps for air while trying to brush twigs out of his shirt. "We finally made it, no thanks to you two."

Lucas chuckled warmly. Barry couldn't believe his eyes.

"Why are you laughing?! I just worked my tail off so you wouldn't have to and you just _laugh_?!"

"Why didn't you just use your super-strong Pokemon?" Lucas said softly. "It can handle the Red Gyarados but not a couple bushes?"

"I was just saving its strength," Barry said, putting his hand to his heart and puffing out his chest.

"Sure you were, buddy, sure you were," Lucas said as he patted him on the back. Barry made a growling sound.

Renee ignored them as they started to bicker. She had been to this lake only once, when she was about five, but it all seemed like a blur now. She had spotted a blue Pokemon swimming in the lake with long antennas with yellow tips that emitted tiny sparks. It's eyes were black crosses surrounded by yellow spots. Renee had loved it when she set her eyes on it, thinking it was cute enough to be trusted. The Pokemon seemed to want to swim with her, so she came ankle deep in the water and touched it. It felt cool, not slimy like she thought a fish would be. The Pokemon wanted her to come out further...Renee didn't see any harm, so she went in waist deep...shoulder deep...until finally she had to grab on to the Pokemon to keep her head above water. It was really fun...until the Pokemon called his friends to drag her under. She stayed under for only about fifteen seconds, fortunately, because Barry came by before she drowned, or else she would've been done for. That was how they met, so at least _one _good memory came out of it...

"Renee, are you all right?" Lucas asked, waking her from her vision. "You were spacing out. Come on, the lake is right down here--"

Lucas stopped. Barry stared down at the lake from the hill they were on and exchanged a nervous glance with Renee; he was obviously thinking just what she was.

Barry and Renee haven't been down to the lake since they were five. They couldn't remember what they would see, but they knew what to expect: A beautiful body of water splashing the shore, the remaining light of the sun rippling the amber waves. What they saw wasn't at all what they expected. People in uniform seemed to be tearing the place down. They were cutting down trees, setting up what looked to be like small bombs, and adding an odd sort of substance to the water, turning it from blue to greenish-black.

"What..." Lucas started, his face reddening. "...do--you--_think_--you're--doing?!"

One of the weird looking people looked up to them. They all looked the same: They had green bowl cuts and were wearing a white-and-gray uniform with Gs printed on them. Even the men and the women couldn't be told apart. The person turned, "Commander, a few kids wandered over here!"

Every one of them stopped what they were doing to give a puzzled look to the three. Out of the mess, someone who only looked slightly different emerged from the crowd to stare straight at them. He was wearing the same uniform, but his expression was snake-like and his cold blue eyes sent a shiver down Renee's spine. His blue hair matched his eyes: an icy blue in the shape of a U. Renee glanced at Barry; she just now realized the he was grabbing onto her shoulder with her fingernails digging into her skin. He had a look of terror on his face and he was trembling hard.

"D-Don't worry, Renee," Barry said to her, though he was glancing at Lucas. "Th-These guys make one wrong move a-and this trainer turns into a p-powerful protecting machine..."

"Hello, children," the man said. "I think it would be best if you go home and forget this ever happened. This sort of construction is far too dangerous for kids."

Lucas finally found his chance to completely drive Barry insane. Either that, or he was even more gullible than Renee thought. "That's right! _We're _just kids! But Barry here has a super-strong Pokemon that can toast you to a crisp!"

All the color drained from Barry's face, making his eyes look even brighter than ever. He looked at her, as if pleading for help. Renee almost felt sorry for him. She had never seen Barry looking so desperate to get out of a situation. But this was Barry's own fault. If he could somehow get himself into this, he could get himself out. Just as long as he didn't say...

"That's right! I have a super-strong Pokemon and can battle at any moment I'm ready!"

Renee buried her face in her hands. She always rated Barry's behavior on a scale of one to stupid, but that scale didn't work, because he kept on breaking that scale.

The man stared him straight in the eye, making his face, if possible, get paler. "Very well. Are you ready now?"

"Actually, you know what? I seem to have left my super-strong Pokemon at home. I'll just go get it and come right back..." Barry tried to turn around to run, but Lucas grabbed him by the collar of his shirt.

"You're not going anywhere."

Just when Renee thought they were officially doomed, Lucas tilted his backpack so it slid off his shoulder and threw it onto the floor. He kneeled and began to rummage through it.

The man, however, didn't want to wait and see what Lucas's backpack held. "Excuse me, where are my manners? My name is Commander Saturn of Team Galactic, Cyrus's right-hand man. He has given me one of the strongest Pokemon in our storage. Perhaps you would like to battle it? Toxicroak, go." Saturn threw a Pokeball. The Toxicroak that came out looked extremely angry, not to mention frightening.

Renee thought she was going to faint where she was standing, but Lucas had found what he needed and held out three Pokeballs. "Each of you take one!" he ordered. "We'll take it down together!"

Barry seemed quite eager to reach out and grab any of the three Pokeballs, but he studied them thoroughly, as if he could read what Pokemon was inside them. "I sense a powerful aura coming from this one!" he said with feeling as he grabbed a completely random Pokeball.

"Just take one, Renee," Lucas urged. Renee studied the two Pokeballs. This was the very last thing she ever wanted to do, choosing a Pokemon to fight against someone bigger and stronger than her...The vision of the slime ball and the dragon came back to her...but this time the dragon was a Toxicroak...

When Renee failed to move, Lucas muttered something and grabbed one of the Pokeballs. Renee, feeling rushed, grabbed the other, and the three of them now each held a real, living, breathing being in the palm of their hands, and were preparing to fight a giant poison frog...

Barry threw his Pokeball, trying to look as dramatic and heroic as possible. "Go, Pokeball!"

A small, blue and white penguin popped out in a red beam. Renee watched, fear rising. "All right!" Lucas shouted. "Barry got Piplup!"

Barry was too busy admiring his Piplup to answer. Piplup seemed to be enjoying the attention to his fullest extent, but also kept a close eye on the Toxicroak to make sure it wasn't attacking yet.

Lucas was next. "Go, Pokeball!" he shouted, throwing it. The Pokeball didn't go very far when he threw it, so Renee guessed it was either really heavy or Lucas was really weak.

A green turtle with a sprout on its head emerged from the Pokeball. "It's Turtwig!" Lucas shouted with glee. Turtwig had a friendly look, but Renee remained just as frightened.

Renee knew it was her turn. Her hands couldn't lift themselves up to throw the Pokeball. Her fingers started to tremble so much from fear of the unknown, she dropped the Pokeball, and it exploded in a red light. When the light subsided, a small orange monkey with a flame for a tail came out. "Chimchar!" it greeted her, smiling. Renee took one look at this Pokemon and wanted to hug it. Something about it was extremely cute...but Renee had fallen for that once before and almost got killed. She backed away from the Pokemon, her hands out so she could stop it if it tried to pounce.

"Renee!" Lucas shouted. "You got Chimchar!! Don't worry, he's friendly!" he added, spotting the look on her face.

"Toxicroak, Poison Jab on the Piplup."

"All right, Piplup, start attacking!" Barry called. Piplup turned to look at him, confused, and then took full blow of the Poison attack.

"Barry, you have to tell it what move to use!" Lucas said. "Watch this: Turtwig, use Tackle!"

Turtwig ran as fast as its stubby legs would carry him and rammed as hard as he could into Toxicroak's stomach. Toxicroak didn't take much damage, but it did look like it was out of breath thanks to the blow.

Lucas turned to Renee. "Your turn! Tell Chimchar to do something!"

Renee searched her head for an attack, desperate to find something before the Toxicroak recovered...but Chimchar was scratching his head and barely looking at Toxicroak. Renee was completely dumbfounded that Chimchar wasn't scared of that thing...and then it hit her. "Chimchar! Use Scratch!"

Chimchar stopped scratching, smiled, and then leapt high in the air, flew down toward Toxicroak, and scraped it on the arm. Toxicroak gave a yelp of pain, and Chimchar jumped and somersaulted backwards back to his normal spot and proceeded to act like he didn't care.

"You're just children," Saturn said, completely confident he would win. "Toxicroak, use Poison sting on the girl."

Renee stood up straighter in surprise. Barry gasped hard, and Lucas shouted, "That's against the rules! You have to attack her Pokemon!"

"Do as I say, Toxicroak. Ignore that boy," he commanded. A hundred purple shards shot out of Toxicroak's mouth and hurled toward Renee. Renee dropped to the ground, threw her hands over her head, and shrieked at the top of her lungs. Chimchar's boredom left him completely as he leapt in front of the attack and took every bit of the blow.

"CHIMCHAR!" Barry, Lucas, and Renee shouted together.

Chimchar dropped to the ground, unconscious, as a purple color appeared slowly right under Chimchar's eyes.

"I think I've shown you what I can do, so you can just leave now. Don't bother calling the police, we can beat them just as badly as we beat you." Saturn called Toxicroak back into his Pokeball and ordered the rest of Team Galactic to get back to work. Lucas ran over to Chimchar, scooped him up in his arms, and ran back from the direction they came.

"Come on, you two!" he shouted. "We don't stand a chance! Let's go!"

Renee didn't hesitate to agree and ran after Lucas. "But I didn't get to--" Barry started, but he broke off as Renee grabbed his arm and kept running.

When they were far enough away, Lucas kneeled down as Renee and Barry caught up. He set Chimchar down gingerly on the grass. The purple had gotten darker and spread farther. His eyes were barely open and he looked sick.

"He's poisoned," Lucas said, rummaging through his backpack. "I know I have something in here to get rid of it...Aha!" He pulled out a long, ridiculously thick needle with a 'P' on it. Renee guessed that it stood for poison. As Chimchar spotted it, his eyes widened and he tried to raise his head. However, Lucas grabbed his shoulder and pinned him down as he yelped and struggled. Chimchar opened his mouth wide and small sparks of fire flew onto Lucas who jerked his head backwards, his face covered in ashes. Piplup used Bubble on Lucas, whose head looked deformed through the bubbles. Barry chuckled and praised Piplup.

"All right, all right!" Lucas snapped when the bubbled popped. "Renee, you hold Chimchar down, I'll give him the shot."

"No!" Renee said without thinking. Stopping herself, Lucas stared straight at her and she stared back.

"What?"

"I'm sorry," she said weakly. "But I can't...I don't want..."

"You don't want to?"

"Being burned by a monkey is a bad way to die. I'm sorry!" she said again. She squeezed her eyes tight.

"Chimchar's not going to kill you," Lucas said softly. Renee opened her eyes. She had expected to be made fun of or laughed at. If not, Lucas should've at least had disappointment in his voice, but he didn't sound like that at all.

Renee sighed, reached slowly toward Chimchar, and held him down. Chimchar had an extremely frightened look in his eye resembling the kind of look a child gives its mother when he had to get a tooth removed. A pleading look as if begging silently to run away but knew he couldn't. Even so, unlike Lucas's attempt, Chimchar didn't dare move at all as Lucas got the needle ready.

"Is that the only way to treat poison?" Renee asked, feeling sympathetic toward Chimchar.

"It's the only one I have," Lucas sighed. Renee expected it to be slow and painful and Chimchar would make at least some sort of noise, but Chimchar remained silent as if he couldn't feel anything at all. The purple lifted from his face. "It's painless," he went on, "It just doesn't look too appealing."

"I can see what you mean," Barry said. "Your Turtwig is freaking out. Poor guy."

"_Girl_," Lucas corrected. "Turtwig is a _girl_."

"What?!" Barry said. "They have _girl _Pokemon?!"

"Of course they do. How do you think they mate?" Lucas said, bored.

"Pokemon can mate?!" Barry said, apparently finding this surprising.

"How do you think they're born?"

"The same way humans are, right? The hospital donates--"

"Okay, Barry, no one hear wants to hear your theory on how babies are born. You're old enough to know the truth."

"What is it? What's the truth?" Barry asked, suddenly very interested in the conversation.

Lucas smiled. Renee guessed he was happy to find another way to mess with Barry's head. "Well, Barry, when a vampire dies, its fangs--"

"Shut up, Lucas," Renee said.

"Who's that guy?" Barry said, pointing. Renee and Lucas turned around, and with the same speed they did so, they fell backwards in surprise.

A boy with black hair who looked a year or two older than them was standing above them, way too close for comfort.

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"H-Hello..." Lucas said, staring straight up at the boy. He wasn't even looking at them-- He was staring dead at something invisible that only he could see. Lucas stood up and waved his hands in front of the boy, but the boy's eyes didn't move in the slightest. "Are you blind?" he said a little more loudly.

"No," the boy responded. "I'm deaf."

Everyone froze. "Deaf?" Barry repeated.

"Can't hear a word you're saying. But I can see it just fine," he assured. Chimchar whimpered. Renee picked him up off the ground and continued to stare at the boy.

"I don't buy it," Barry said, looking away and shutting his eyes. "If you're deaf, how can you hear us?"

"I can't," the boy said again, finally moving his eyes and staring from the blank space to Renee's shoes. Renee stood frozen. "I read lips."

"What's your name?" Lucas said.

No answer.

Lucas tapped him on the shoulder. "What's your name?"

He mumbled something.

"What?"

"Deo...isu."

"_What_?" Lucas said. "Speak louder."

"Deokishisu."

And, of course, Barry made the first response, and it was "HEY!!! That's a funny name!!" and then he started to laugh.

"Stop being so immature, Barry," Renee said.

"No, really, try saying that five times fast! Heck, try _remembering _it onetime _slow_!!"

"Barry--"

"Deokisho-- Ack!" he laughed. "I'm going to give you a nickname. How about Deo?"

"Deo," Deokishisu repeated.

"That's even stupider, Barry!" Renee said.

"Well, you try thinking of anything better!" Barry laughed, wiping a tear out of his eye.

"How about Kishisu?" Lucas offered.

"Kishisu."

"I know!" Renee said. "How about Disu?"

"That's twice as stupid as--!!"

"Disu," Deokishisu echoed. "Disu. Disu. I like that one. Disu. Disu--"

"Are you sure this freak isn't mentally challenged?" Barry whispered in Renee's ear as Deokishisu kept repeating his new nickname.

"Shh!"

"He can't hear us, stop freaking out!"

"It doesn't matter how quiet you are, he can read your lips!"

"No he can't," Barry snapped. "There's no way he's deaf. He can hear every word we're saying."

"It doesn't matter, but either way, just stop pretending he can't hear you!!"

"Disu. Disu. Disu."

"Are you positive we can trust this guy?" Lucas said. "He seems a bit weird."

"Lucas!" Renee whispered.

"Disu. Disu."

"Come on, if we leave, he won't notice."

"Yes he will!!"

"He's coo coo," Barry snapped. "Come on."

"No," Renee said defiantly. "Don't walk away, Barry...Barry-- Stop! Freeze right where you are, Barry--!!!"

Barry took a single step back to Twinleaf Town and Disu shifted his eyes from Renee's shoes to Barry's eyes. "DISU! DISU! No one tells my master what to do. DISU!" Barry froze where he was. Suddenly, Barry started mumble quietly to himself. Renee took a step forward to hear what he was saying.

"It's cold...so cold..." he was mumbling. His eyes shut tight and he folded his arms over his chest. He started to breath harder...and harder...harder still...

Renee looked down at Barry's shoes. They were sealed in ice! Barry's breath got shallower and his mumbling got louder.

"It's freezing...S-So cold...take me away from the cold..."

The ice crept up Barry's legs, over his belt, up to his waist...

"Can't move...too cold...my fingers are numb..."

Disu's voice had gone down. "Disu Freeze. Disu Freeze."

Barry's breathing turned to gasps. Lucas and Renee started to panic. They both grabbed onto Barry and tried to pry the ice off his body, but it was stuck tight. The ice curled around his elbows and up his arm...his chest was frozen...his mumbling turned to yells of pain.

"IT'S COLD! I CAN'T MOVE! HE'S A MONSTER, A MONSTER!"

"Disu Freeze. Disu Freeze." Disu's brown eyes turned an eerie red. "Disu Freeze. DISU OBEY."

"OBEY WHAT?!" Lucas shouted.

Renee gave up and was now holding onto Barry to support her weak legs, as she thought she was going to faint. The ice clung onto his neck, his chin...

"LET ME GO, YOU BIG MONSTER, LET ME G--" Barry was cut off as the ice froze his mouth right as it opened wide.

"Disu Freeze. Disu Freeze. Disu Obey. Disu Freeze..."

The tip of Barry's hair turned a solid silver as he was completely engulfed in the ice. Terrified, Renee turned toward Disu.

"STOP!" she shrieked.

"Dis--" Disu cut himself off. Renee turned from watching Disu's eyes change back slowly but surely to its regular brown to watching Lucas's face regain color, again, slowly but surely. Barry remained frozen in the thin ice that made a perfect layer around his body.

"He's gonna die," Lucas said, his voice shaking. "Oh my God, he's gonna die..."

Chimchar made a tiny squeak like something was stuck in his throat. Renee held him tighter, staring at Barry, standing completely still in front of her with a look of terror on his face. Barry was dying, and none of them had any idea how, why, or what happened.

"Disu," Disu whispered. "Disu...Sorry."

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

_Ding-dong._

"Hello?" a voice came from the door. It opened and Barry's mother looked down on Lucas, Renee, and Disu. She had a worried expression. "Oh...Renee. Who're your friends?"

"This is Lucas and Disu."

"Disu?"

"Disu, Disu," Disu greeted.

"Y-Yes, Disu to you too. Are you three here to see Barry?"

"Yeah," Lucas said softly.

"I'm afraid he's in no condition to speak to anyone, not even me," Barry's mother said with a sigh.

"Is he conscious?" Renee asked eagerly. "Will he be all right?"

"Yes, he's conscious, and he'll be just fine after some rest, but he keeps screaming to himself things like "Disu Freeze" and "he's a monster" whenever I try to speak to him." She gave Disu a look, as if she didn't trust him.

Disu didn't notice. He made a clicking sound with his tongue and followed a flying Pidgey with his eyes.

"I can let you _try _and talk to him, but if he freaks out, try not to stay up there for too long," she said in a hushed voice. Then she added, "I'm not saying he doesn't miss you, he's just in a bad state."

"All right," Lucas said. He turned to Renee. "Come on, it's worth a try." He turned to Disu. "Maybe you and I should stay behind, Disu. Disu?"

Disu snapped to attention. "What?"

"Maybe...you and I...should stay here...while Renee...that's the girl with the funny hair...tries to talk to Barry...the blonde one...Okay?" he said slowly.

Disu gave Renee a nervous glance. Renee didn't know why, so she smiled and nodded at him. Disu smiled back and looked back to Lucas. "'Kay," he said.

Renee couldn't help but smile. Disu was weird, but whatever happened to Barry couldn't possibly have been his fault. He was really nice, Renee worried that Barry would never trust Disu after he recovered..._if _ he recovered.

"Barry?" she called quietly. His room was dark.

"Renee...?" his voice said.

"Yeah, it's me, it's Renee...Can I turn the light on?"

"Yeah," Barry said. Renee flipped the switch and saw Barry lying under a thick blanket, staring at the ceiling as if thinking hard. He still had ice in his hair, but Renee was happy to see that he looked just fine.

"Barry, are you--?"

"Renee, you weren't hurt, were you?" he snapped.

"No! Nothing happened to me!" she said softly, walking up to his bed. "Do you feel all right?"

"Disu's gonna kill me," he croaked. "Disu's after me, did you hear what he was saying? "Disu Freeze"...And I was freezing! He was obeying someone...I think he was obeying you! You gave him the nickname, so he started chanting it...You told me to freeze, too!"

Renee gulped. "Y-You might be right, B-Barry, and if you are, it-it's all my f-f-fault..." Renee started to weep. "I-I didn't mean t-to do that to you, Barry, I-I'm s-so sorry..."

Barry sighed. "That's not what I meant. Renee, don't cry, I hate making you cry."

"B-But D-Disu was listening t-to me..." she whimpered. "C-C-Can I do anything t-to make that up f-f-for you?"

"Here's something you can do," Barry said. "You can come to Jubilife City with me."

"J-Jubilife...?"

"I'm going to become the greatest Pokemon trainer ever. You can become the second greatest...or my right-hand girl, either way. But I want you to become a Pokemon trainer as well. And we have to ditch Disu."

"Come on, Barry..."

"DON'T "come on, Barry" me! Don't you DARE try to get me to calm down either! JUST SHUT UP!"

"Okay, maybe he _is _mentally challenged, but don't hold--"

"Mentally challenged?! He's an alien!"

"Barry--"

"STOP IT!" he shouted. "I'm not speaking to you EVER again if you try and bring--"

"Renee! RENEE!" Lucas's voice called from downstairs. "Renee, GET DOWN HERE!"

"What is it now?!" Barry snapped. Renee sighed.

"I'll come back up in a second..." she muttered.

"But I wanted to talk to you," Barry pleaded with a very sudden change of heart.

"I'll be back in a second!" she snapped, and ran back downstairs. When she reached them, she barked "What is it?!" and looked around to notice that Disu was no longer in the room.

"Disu was chasing a bird..." Lucas panted, out of breath. "He wandered away, then some freaky alien thing came down and...it grabbed him..."

"Where is he?" Renee demanded.

"Dunno," Lucas gasped. "I tried running after him, but he was too fast..."

"Oh no, this is terrible!" Renee whispered to herself. "Lucas, do you think it was the same thing that did _that _to Barry?"

"Maybe..."

"IT WAS DEOXYS! IT WAS DEOXYS!" Barry's voice screamed from upstairs.

"Honestly," Barry's mother said breathlessly. "There is something _wrong _with that boy..."

"Deoxys?" Lucas echoed thoughtfully. "What's that?"

"Who knows?" Renee said, scanning the sky from the window, hoping to find any sign of him. "He's probably just had a nightmare."

"Deoxys..." Lucas mumbled. "_What _was Deoxys?"

"Ignore him!" Renee snapped. "He thinks Disu is an alien. His head isn't right...We have to find Disu!"

"Where do we look?"

"Everywhere," Renee barked brusquely. "Judging by the way he acts, he won't last very long on his own. Urgh! I don't see anything..."

"Renee, why are you so concerned about Disu?" Lucas asked softly.

"I don't know," Renee said stupidly. To say that made her feel like an idiot, but it was true..._Something _about Disu seemed as if he didn't deserve to be kidnapped..._Something _about him she cared about...

Renee felt a stroke of terror. She looked out the window to the door. On the ground was a dead Pidgey...The very same Pidgey Disu had been staring at.

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"I'm telling you, it was Deoxys!" Barry said determinedly.

"Stop talking nonsense. You just had a bad dream," Renee barked.

"But I'm totally fine now, and I still know it's Deoxys!"

"In that case..." Lucas said, smiling slightly. "...you're just insane."

"Shut up!"

"Where are we supposed to start...?" Renee wondered out loud, ignoring the boys.

"Sandgem Town," Lucas answered. "Because that's where we need to go anyway."

"Why?" Barry asked.

"Because those Pokemon aren't yours. They're Professor Rowan's. And it's been a few weeks since your tenth birthday, Renee."

"It was mine, too!" Barry argued. Then he paused. "So we can't become Pokemon trainers?" he asked sadly.

"Nope."

"But I was injured!"

"Renee could've gone for you and she decided not to."

Barry looked at Renee. "I hate you!"

"It's not _my _fault!" Renee rebounded. "And it's not Disu's fault either! So stop--"

"No one talks until we get there," Lucas told them sternly.

All three of them were quiet when they arrived at Sandgem Town. It looked a little more formal then Twinleaf, but there wasn't very much of a difference besides the research lab, Pokemon Center, and PokeMart. They walked into the research lab, Barry looking very hurt. Renee took out Chimchar's Pokeball and stared at it. It was just a Pokemon, nothing more, just a stupid animal...They didn't have feelings...They only felt hunger and anger and violence...

"Lucas!" a gruff yet friendly voice said. Renee looked up to see a man with white hair and a lab coat. Barry had hatred in his eye. "Lucas, where have you been? And who are these two?"

"There are people down at Lake Verity," Lucas said. Renee thought this was sounding more and more like a bad police movie. "They attacked us...I had to let these two use the Pokemon."

"Well...I don't suppose there could be any harm done. What did these people look like?"

"They were called Team Galactic," Lucas told him. "They were ruining the lake. We tried to stop them, but they had a very strong Pokemon..."

"Hm," Professor Rowan mumbled. "May I please see the three Pokemon?"

Lucas handed Turtwig's Pokeball to Rowan. Renee hesitated and handed hers to him as well. Barry stood there, staring at Rowan's outstretched hand, made a sound, and dropped Piplup's Pokeball in his hand. To Lucas's surprise, Rowan called all three of the Pokemon out.

Piplup and Chimchar, who had no idea why they were being left by who they thought had been their trainers, stared at Barry and Renee thoughtfully. Chimchar looked as though he was about to cry, and Piplup just looked angry. Turtwig seemed to have been through this a dozen times and just gave Lucas a parting nod.

"They seem to be just fine," Rowan said to himself, studying Piplup. "Not hurt too much..." He looked at Turtwig up and down. Then he got to Chimchar, who had been poisoned earlier. "This one is a bit bumped up, but I can fix that...They seem happy," he concluded. "All right, I can let you keep them."

"_What?_" Lucas said. "But, Professor Rowan, sir, these are your..."

"You can have Turtwig as a gift, Lucas." He bent down to Chimchar and scratched his chin. Chimchar "Char"ed with pleasure. "These Pokemon didn't seem to like being caged up in the lab. A good friend in a trainer ought to open them up a bit."

"Oh, Professor, thank you," Lucas said breathlessly.

"YEAH!" Barry cheered, bending down to give Piplup his speech about being the greatest Pokemon trainer in the world.

"Pip Piplup!" Piplup said, waving a flipper. It sounded suspiciously like a "No problem!"

"You can have these Pokemon on one condition," Rowan said to Barry and Renee. "You have to help me complete these Pokedexes." He handed both of them a closed Pokedex. Barry's was orange and Renee's was pink. "Every time you see a new Pokemon, gather the data in the Pokedex."

"Easy peasy!" Barry shouted.

"Now, may I suggest heading to Jubilife City first?"

"Professor," Renee said quietly.

Rowan looked down on her. "Yes, dear?"

"One of our friends--"

"ENEMIES!" Barry corrected angrily.

"One of our _neighbors _has been kidnapped by something," she whispered. "Can you maybe keep an eye out here in the lab?"

Rowan raised his eyebrow. "And what does this _neighbor _look like?"

"He has black hair and brown eyes--" Renee started, but she was cut off.

"He thinks he's deaf and says he reads lips. He responds to the names 'Disu' or 'Deokishisu' and he keeps chanting his name over and over again. He's also an alien and has magical powers," Barry interrupted, completely serious.

"Um...Well, the first two sentences were correct..." Renee muttered.

"I see. I'll keep an eye out for him. Now, off you go! You should make it in time for the Jubilife contest if you hurry."

"Thank you, Professor!"

The threesome head outside and started toward the Pokemon Center. "I have to call my grandmother first," Renee explained. She sat down and dialed her home phone number. It rang once, twice, three times, four times, five times, six times...no answer. She tried again: One, two, three, four, five, six...nothing. She tried one last time: One, two, three...Her grandmother answered and her face appeared on the screen.

"Renee, where in the world are you?" she said weakly.

"Are you feeling all right?" Renee asked softly, looking at her pale face.

"Yes, I'm just fine. Where have you been?"

"I'm at Sandgem...I met someone named Deokishisu..."

"Deo-what?"

"Deokishisu." Noticing her confused look, she added, "We call him Disu."

"I see. But that doesn't explain why you've been gone for two weeks."

"He's been kidnapped..." Renee stood up. "Grandma, I'm going to look for him! And to do that I need to become a Pokemon trainer! So I did!"

Grandma smiled. "That's wonderful."

"No, it's not, I'm terrified!!"

"It'll be all right. Honey, you take care of Barry. He always charges into things and doesn't think."

"I will. Goodbye."

"Goodbye. Good luck. I love you."

Renee hung up and sighed. Was her grandmother finally dying? What if she died while Renee was battling someone, and she never figured it out? She noticed that Barry and Lucas were sitting down with their heads close together, mumbling something. She walked over to them.

"What're you two talking about?"

"Our new name," Barry said, excited.

"The Disu Hunter Squad!" Lucas cheerfully.

"NO! I thought we agreed we weren't going to do that!" Barry smiled again. "We're the Deoxys Hunter Squad!"

"Deoxys isn't real! You just had a bad dream!"

"Shut up, Lucas!"

"Ugh, do we need a name?" Renee muttered. "Can't we just look for him?"

"Hey, Renee, why don't you enter the Jubilife Contest? All you have to do is look your best, and that shouldn't be too hard," Lucas offered. Barry pouted, and Renee blushed.

"All right...Sure."

"To Jubilife!" Barry cheered.

"To Jubilife!" Lucas echoed.

"To Jubilife!" Renee agreed, wondering how in the world she could get stuck with a bigger group of weirdos. But that didn't matter. They were her friends, and maybe she could get past her fear with their help...On the bright side, there wasn't a Purugly in sight, so maybe she could finally sleep in peace...

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**This story is almost as hard to follow as the Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban video game! Except it has more aliens and less zombies! ~Furyfur**


	2. Dividing Partners

**Deoxys Hunter Squad**

**A/N: Have any of you ever noticed how in all of my stories that involve Barry, I torture him until he cracks? Now, before you answer the question, ask yourself this: What is it that most fangirls want to do to their fandoms? You should be happy I'm only hurting him.**

**This chapter is mostly in Piplup's point of view. Viewer discretion is advised.**

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Last time, the newly-named Deoxys Hunter Squad obtained their first Pokemon: Barry received Piplup, Lucas received Turtwig, and Renee, against her will, received Chimchar. The three friends set off toward their next stop, Jubilife, so Renee could compete in the Jubilife Contest. Somewhere along the journey, they hoped--well, _most _of them hoped--to find their lost friend Disu, who, according to Barry, had been kidnapped by someone named Deoxys. The road to the world's best Pokemon trainer was a long and perilous one where there was no time for goofing off...except lunch breaks, of course.

"Hey, Barry," Renee said, watching the boys eat as she was too tense to eat herself. "Why don't you enter the Jubilife Contest as well?"

"Nope," Barry said plainly.

"Why not?"

"Because that's how I roll."

Lucas laughed. Barry gave him a glare.

"Well, um..." Renee muttered. "I didn't really want to do it alone, you see...It's my first contest, after all..."

"I see," Lucas said, smiling brightly. "You don't want to enter it alone because you're chicken!"

"She's not chicken," Barry said angrily. "It's her first time."

"Nope, I'm definitely chicken," Renee snickered.

"Oh, you'll do anything to prove me wrong, won't you?!" he snapped. Lucas and Renee laughed. "Well, that'll all change once I become the world's greatest Pokemon trainer! Just you wait, I can battle anyone and win as long as I try! And I'm not stopping my training for even a second! That's why I'll never let Piplup out of my sight! Right after I find him..." Barry muttered.

Lucas's smile disappeared. "You can't find Piplup?"

"Went off by himself," Barry said. "I told him it could only be a little while, but it's been three hours."

"You said you were catching Pokemon!" Renee said. "Instead you were looking for Piplup?"

"Is that bad?"

"Yes, it's bad, you can't let your Pokemon wander off on their own before they completely trust you!" Lucas barked.

Barry slapped his hands down on the ground and stood straight up. "All right, then I'll go find him now!" He stormed off.

"Speaking of finding Pokemon, have you seen Chimchar or Turtwig?" Renee asked.

Lucas whirled around toward her, causing her to leap back in shock. "_What_?!"

"Turtwig and Chimchar w-were eating with each other, over there...Th-They may've wandered off without us knowing..."

"This is bad!" Lucas said, worried. "We need to find them now! Come on!" He seized her hand and pulled her into the bushes, searching madly and running as fast as he could.

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"Piplup?" Turtwig called. "Piplup, come out, come out wherever you are..."

"We give up!" Chimchar called angrily. "Now get out here!"

The two Pokemon made their way past hundreds of thorn bushes, pushing through the flowers and fallen tree leaves that blocked their path as they searched for their lost friend. Turtwig was calling the same thing over and over again, and Chimchar was treating the matter like it was a game of hide-and-seek, but judging by the expression of anger on his face, it was a game of hide-and-pray-I-don't-find-you.

"We've been searching for days!" Chimchar gasped.

"It's only been an hour, Chimchar," Turtwig sighed.

"Then how come the Pokemon we passed kept falling asleep?"

"Because I learned Sleep Powder," Turtwig snapped. "Now pay attention. You need to learn moves, too, so you can see me as a role model."

Turtwig gave a silencing glare to Chimchar, who was mouthing something that looked like "You're a role model all right..."

"Shhhh!" Chimchar hissed, squatting down low and preparing to attack. "Here that? If a tree falls down in the forest and no one is around to hear it..."

"Shut up, Chimchar," Turtwig muttered, scanning the area for any remains of fallen trees. "I think I heard it, too."

"Piplup!" they whispered together. Charging through the forest, the sound of crashing grew louder, and behind every crash followed a yelp of pain. Exchanging nervous glances, they picked up their pace.

"Slow down, slow down!" Turtwig panted. "I can't keep up!"

Chimchar, however, leaped onto a tree branch, hung by his legs, stuck out his tongue, and pulled his eyes backward. "That's because you have stubby legs, shorty!" he teased.

"Chimchar, I think you're learning Taunt!" Turtwig said in awe.

"Come off it, I can do this whenever I like."

Before Chimchar could tease Turtwig any further about her short legs, the tree he was hanging by started to wobble. It went from wobbling to leaning, from leaning to falling, until the whole tree came crashing down with Chimchar stuck in it.

"Chimchar!" Turtwig gasped once the dust settled.

"Oof," Chimchar moaned, crawling lazily out of the branches. "I don't want to learn Taunt anymore."

"Peck!" a voice called, following by more falling trees. "Peck, Peck, Peck!"

"Piplup!" Turtwig called, running toward their friend. Chimchar remained where he was lying, half-conscious. "Piplup, is that you?"

Piplup narrowly escaped the pine tree with a yelp of pain. As he turned around, Turtwig could see that he had various bumps and bruises all over his body and one black eye. At first, Piplup looked at her like she was a complete stranger, then gave her a scowl.

"I'm not going back."

"What?" Turtwig said softly.

"I'm not going back!" he said, louder.

"Back to...our trainers, you mean?"

"_Your _trainers," Piplup spat. "I found a new one."

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"You found...a new trainer?" Turtwig whispered as if he was speaking a bad swear word. Piplup nodded. "But...Piplup, what about Barry?"

"_He _wants to be the best trainer in the world, but he can barely stand up to Renee."

Chimchar leapt up and stormed over to Piplup. "_What _about Renee?" he snarled.

"She's a baby!" Piplup spat.

Chimchar leaned up really close to him. "Are you calling my trainer a baby?"

"All three of them aren't--" Piplup cut himself off as Chimchar jumped into the air.

"_Scratch_!" he shouted, coming down fast at Piplup and slicing into his forehead. The attack was barely recognizable under the scratch marks he already had, though Piplup let out a shriek of pain and toppled backwards, falling onto the ground.

"Chimchar!" Turtwig said breathlessly.

It was a matter of seconds, however, before he got to his feet again, but Chimchar was charging at him once again. "_Fury Swipes_!" he boomed, swinging his claws aimlessly across Piplup's face.

"Bubble!" Piplup shouted, firing bubbles at Chimchar. Chimchar was too fast for him and moved like lightning to the left and jumped back in the air before hurling back down toward Piplup.

"_Scratch_!"

"Bide!"

Chimchar continued to slash at Piplup as he remained curled up in a ball. After five or six angry swipes, Piplup released his inner energy and Chimchar was hurled backwards into a tree with a wince of pain.

"I can't believe Piplup learned Bide!" Turtwig said airily. "This battle is fantastic! It truly shows how anger can affect a Pokemon's--_Oh_, that looked like it hurt..."

Chimchar had bounced back using Ember, knocking Piplup off his feet for the umpteenth time. "_Fury Swipes_!" he called once more, swiping at Piplup.

"Peck!" Piplup shouted, jumping at Chimchar mid-hit and hurling him backwards.

Chimchar struggled to stand up, but Piplup was struggling to keep himself in the battle. "Ember!" Chimchar panted, hurling a pathetic amount of sparks toward Piplup. He didn't even have to move when the sparks flew toward him, as they curved and were sent toward the ground where they disappeared.

"Bubble!" Piplup breathed. The slow-moving bubbles started to drift lazily toward Chimchar, but he was breathing too hard to notice. The bubbled surrounded him and popped into what looked like small explosions, and Chimchar yelled with pain and flew backwards.

"Bubble is strong!" Turtwig whispered to herself. "Piplup must've worked himself hard with this new trainer..."

Chimchar grasped the ground and stood up, his knees shaking slightly. "You won't...get away...with calling my trainer...a baby..." he said, panting hard in between words. Piplup was trying hard to hold himself up as well, but he had obviously done a lot of training in the time he had been gone and was a lot tougher now. Chimchar and Piplup both took a big gasp...

"_Ember_!"

"_Bubble_!"

"Piplup?" a teenage boy's voice said. "Piplup, who are these Pokemon you let on our training grounds?"

All three of the Pokemon turned to see a boy who looked about fourteen with long brown hair in a ponytail. He was wearing a red-and-maroon striped t-shirt and brown, baggy shorts that dropped down to his knees. He had a Farfetch'd by his side that was about twice the size of a normal Farfetch'd.

"Piplup, don't you know full well that the only Pokemon that dares to enter this ground has been captured and trained by me?" the boy boomed.

"Yes, Keith, sir," Piplup squeaked, only Chimchar and Turtwig already knew that Keith would just hear "Piplup Pip Piplup."

"So I suppose you know what I'm going to have to do with these Pokemon?"

"Yes, Keith, sir."

"I shouldn't punish you," the boy sneered. "I should give you a reward. You already weakened this Chimchar for me...On the other hand, you let it beat you up, and you haven't touched the Turtwig..."

"I'm sorry, Keith, sir," Piplup muttered, his voice getting higher.

Keith picked two Pokeballs out of his belt. "I'll deal with your little dilemma later, then. Farfetch'd, destroy that Chimchar!"

"Yes, Keith, sir!" the Farfetch'd snarled, walking calmly forward, yet it had an aggressive glare in its eye. Chimchar, who couldn't hold out any longer, dropped to his hands and knees and continued to gasp for air.

Keith seemed to enjoy this. "Wow, I haven't even done anything, and the poor thing's already giving up. What do you say we give it a second while we reduce this Turtwig to leaves?" he asked Farfetch'd.

"Yes, Keith, sir! Farfetch'd at your service, sir!"

"In that case, Poison Jab!"

"You mess with wrong Pokemon, you do, now Farfetch'd teach you valuable lesson!" he shouted, running toward Turtwig.

"Withdraw," Turtwig said quietly, coiling up in her rock-hard shell. Farfetch'd took a violent whack at the shell with his leek and it instantly smashed to bits. Chimchar and Piplup thought silently to themselves that Turtwig was taking this battle very calmly and coolly and it was paying off.

"Squuuuuaaaaack!" Farfetch'd shrieked with tears in his eyes. He began to run in circles. "You hurt Farfetch'd, you hurt Farfetch'd, now Farfetch'd hurt you bad!!"

"Pull yourself together, Farfetch'd, and use Swords Dance!"

Three swords appeared and began to prance around Farfetch'd as he started to glow. He smiled sinisterly as his power level shot up. Turtwig didn't seem impressed.

"Now use Frustration!"

Farfetch'd bolted toward Turtwig. "Ooh, you in big trouble now! Just wait 'til get taste of Farfetch'd Frustration move!!"

"Endure," Turtwig said calmly. Farfetch'd hit her with an already extremely powerful combo of kicks and punches, aided with the extra super-boost of Swords Dance. Turtwig let out a cry of agony and flew backwards, hitting the ground and making a dent in the dirt. Thanks to the Endure move, she could just barely get up.

Farfetch'd was scraping his feet on the ground like a mad cow. "Ooh, you hurt training grounds! You gonna like next move!!"

"S-Sleep Powder..." Turtwig murmured, as she lifted herself up with difficulty and shook herself, sending clumps blue sparkles into the air. Chimchar and Piplup slumped to the ground, using each other's backs to hold themselves up.

"Man, I'm really sleepy all of a sudden..." Piplup said while yawning.

Chimchar curled into a loose ball and smiled. "Best of luck in your battle, Turtwig, but I'm too tired...Nighty-night..."

The Sleep Powder also affected Farfetch'd. He swayed back and forth where he was standing, yawning.

"Farfetch'd..." Keith yawned, falling to his knees. "Use Facade, fast..."

Farfetch'd wandered slowly from side to side, trying to find Turtwig without the trouble of opening his eyes. Turtwig stayed where she was and used Endure again, as she couldn't move. With his remaining strength, he flung his wing around and hit Turtwig hard in the face. The blue sparkles started to clear.

"Oh no..." Piplup said, waking up slightly and trying to nudge Chimchar awake. "Facade makes any status effects disappear... Turtwig's doomed..."

As Turtwig dropped to the ground, half-conscious, Chimchar snapped to attention, got up, and raced to her side, fully prepared for Farfetch'd to come at him.

Farfetch'd flapped his wings frantically. "You is never hurt Farfetch'd! Farfetch'd too powerful!"

"Did Chimchar wake up from his nap?" Keith sneered. "Farfetch'd, use Frustration!"

"You is go down!" Farfetch'd laughed. "Frustration!!"

"Synthesis," Turtwig gasped. The light from the sun parted through the trees and Turtwig was surrounded by tiny beads of light that started to heal her.

"Ember!" Chimchar shouted as sparks flew from his mouth and onto Farfetch'd. It hit him right on the face, blinding him.

"Squuuuuaaaaack!" Farfetch'd screamed. "Farfetch'd can't see! You is dead now, you!" He flapped his wings angrily, but he had no way of knowing where Chimchar was. "Hoo! That's it, now, that's it!"

"Use Whirlwind!"

Farfetch'd flapped his wings madly, sending a blast of wind toward Turtwig and Chimchar. Turtwig was still healing, and Chimchar could barely stand up, let alone dodge.

"Oh no!" Turtwig whispered. "He can sense us!"

"Reflect!" Piplup shouted, jumping in front of the two. The reflector shield barely held through the Whirlwind attack and bounced it back toward Farfetch'd, who was thrown far past Keith and was knocked out.

"Piplup!" Keith shouted in surprise. "_You traitor_!"

"Why did you help us?" Turtwig asked in awe.

Piplup looked down on her. "That's just how I roll."

Chimchar couldn't help but laugh, and Piplup glared at him.

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"Will you come back now?" Turtwig asked hopelessly once they got out of Keith's training grounds. They were munching hungrily on Oran Berries to heal their wounds.

Piplup swallowed a particularly large bite. "No."

"Why not?" she asked.

"Because," Piplup said plainly. When Chimchar and Turtwig gave him a warning look, he sighed. "Fine. Because Barry isn't tough enough to be my master!"

Chimchar jumped up. "Heck, Renee isn't good enough to be _my _master, and you don't see _me _complaining!" he barked.

Turtwig was taken aback. "Chimchar!" she scolded. "You're not helping!"

"I'm not done, Turtwig!" Chimchar rebounded. "I'm saying that they're not our masters, they're our _friends_. Our _partners_. We don't have to take orders from them, we just let them help us in battle."

"But he's not strong enough to--" Piplup started again.

Chimchar cut him off. "They're humans, Piplup! They can't be strong like us, that's why they team up with us! They can't learn moves or speak our language...that's just what they are! And we're Pokemon...we were bred to do that stuff!!"

Piplup fell silent.

"Just look at Renee and me. She doesn't treat me like a slave, she respects me and I respect her! That's why the next time you call her a baby, I'm going to kill you," he added. "The point is, you should give Barry more credit than you already do, and give him a second chance!"

"Chimchar, stop--" Turtwig interrupted.

"And you're a perfect example of the wrong thing to do!" Chimchar said, pointing at Turtwig accusingly. Turtwig gaped. "I'm sorry, Turtwig, but you treat Lucas like he's a king!"

Turtwig and Piplup now were both silent, and Chimchar had gotten so worked up he was sweating and had ignored his berry.

"All right," Piplup said quietly, and Chimchar thought he saw homesick tears in his eyes. "You win. I'll give Barry a second chance."

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Barry returned to the campsite hours later. Renee and Lucas were chatting worriedly and didn't even notice Barry pout and bury his head in his hands, as if he had a bad headache. Renee glanced over to him, noticed he was so sad, and went over to comfort him.

"No luck, I see."

"I can't believe it," Barry croaked, sounding sick. "On my first day of being a Pokemon trainer, I lose the only Pokemon I could manage to get. I lost everyone else's, too. I'm sorry, Renee, I ruin everything."

"That's so true it hurts," Renee said, absolutely serious, but Barry didn't seem to want to be listening. "Aw, Barry, it's all right, I'm sure all three of them will turn up soon! There's a lot of trust already between you and Piplup, so I don't think Piplup will be gone very much longer..."

"Renee, I appreciate the wishful thinking, but be honest. What trust?"

Lucas wandered over to them and stared down at Barry thoughtfully. "Is he crying?" he said casually.

"I hate you..._so _much..." Barry muttered. Renee looked toward the sky. The sun was setting...If their Pokemon didn't show up by the time there was no light, that was that.

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"I'm telling you," Chimchar said, arguing with Piplup. "Curse is a Ghost-Type move!"

"And _I'm _telling _you_," Turtwig retorted. "It's obviously a Normal-Type move!"

Piplup had is head too far in the clouds to answer. He had never thought of Barry as his friend in the short time he had known him. It was just too early! What if he was that 'Deoxys' he kept talking about in disguise? No, that was silly...Piplup had never thought he would miss having such a weak trainer, yet the thought of being safe in his Pokeball with his geeky trainer seemed so much more appealing than being stuck out here in the harsh cold of night. The sun hadn't set just yet...but once it did, they were done for.

"There's the opening!" Chimchar said breathlessly, pointing in the direction of the camp. "There's Renee!"

"Lucas!" Turtwig whispered airily.

"Barry..." Piplup whispered, looking thoughtful.

The remaining sun disappeared behind the faraway trees. Chimchar and Turtwig ran joyously over to their trainers, who looked dumbstruck at their lost partners appearing out of nowhere. Lucas kneeled down and gave Turtwig a "hello" pat on the head. Chimchar jumped straight into Renee's arms and gave her a giant bear hug, which she returned without question, giggling. Piplup stayed where he was. He could turn around and stay in the forest, ditching his trainer, or he could go back to having a master... but maybe this time Barry would seem more like a friend. A partner. Chimchar's words echoed in his head: "_You should give Barry more credit than you already do, and give him a second chance!"_

Piplup emerged from the bushes, staring straight at Barry, not sure what to think. Barry took a good, long look at him. Then, his fist shot up in the air.

"My partner is back!!" he shouted gleefully. Piplup smiled and ran toward him. Barry kneeled down and hugged him as hard as he could. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again, partner!"

"Hate to break apart this barf-fest," Lucas said, looking sick and pointing to his wide-open mouth. "But let's not forget that Jubilife City is really close! We need to get just a little more work done before we hit the hay. I want all three of us to catch at least one Pokemon!"

"No problem! One Pokemon is easy!" Barry said in full confidence. "Now, Lucas...How do you catch a Pokemon?"

Renee giggled. Lucas smiled and handed out five Pokeballs to both Renee and Barry. "I picked these up when Renee was talking with her grandma. You weaken a Pokemon using your partner's moves, then you throw the Pokeball and, if you weakened it enough, you should catch it."

"I'm going first!" Barry cheered.

"No way!" Lucas argued. "_I'm _going to show you how to do it! Come on, you guys. Be quiet, now, we don't want to scare them away."

The happy atmosphere turned quiet as the three trainers and their partners stalked quietly through the grass, Lucas leading. It was completely quiet, when all of a sudden, Piplup heard someone shouting in his ear, "_Ow_! It bit me!!"

Piplup turned around to see Renee sitting on the ground, clutching her foot. Her eyes were shut tight and she had an expression of pain on her face. Chimchar was standing next to her, scanning the area she was sitting for anything that could've bit her, but it seemed to have gotten away. Renee started to weep softly, and Barry rolled his eyes. Lucas bent down to help her up, let her lean on him, and asked her what was wrong.

"I have no idea what just bit me...It was big and brown and had huge teeth..." she whimpered.

"A Bidoof," Lucas said sympathetically. "Ouch, a bite from those teeth...That must hurt...Here, sit down." Lucas slowly sat her down as she grasped her foot. Chimchar jumped up and down angrily, trying to find a Bidoof.

"Oh, so you're just going to baby her?!" Barry said hotly. Chimchar turned to him and glared.

"Bidoof's teeth are about eight inches in length!" he snapped. When Barry laughed, he added, "I'm serious!"

"Both of you stop arguing!" Renee pleaded. "I'm just fine now!"

"Leech Seed!" Piplup heard someone say. He turned around to see that Turtwig had used Leech Seed to rope a Bidoof and keeping it from getting away. He shuddered at the sight of its teeth. Lucas was right!

"Way to go, partner!" Lucas cheered. "Now use Leech Seed's power to suck the energy out of Bidoof and transfer it to you!"

A red substance crawled across the Leech Seed's vine from Bidoof to Turtwig. She released Bidoof, and it fell to the floor, knocked out.

Lucas smirked, grabbed a Pokeball off his belt, and flung it at Bidoof. "Bidoof, you're mine!"

Piplup gasped as a red light surrounded Bidoof and it was sucked into the Pokeball. The Pokeball started to wobble...Lucas was concentrating hard on it...It continued to shake...then the shaking stopped.

Lucas picked up the Pokeball. "Yes! I caught Bidoof!" he shouted. He then turned to Turtwig and sat down. "Look, we have a new friend! Say hello!"

"Hello, Bidoof!" Turtwig greeted. Piplup wondered if Bidoof could hear everything from inside the Pokeball, and decided that next time Barry called him back, he would listen.

"That's so cool, Lucas!" Renee said.

"My turn next!" Barry said. "Piplup, you ready?!"

"Of course I am! Let's go!" Piplup said excitedly.

The two turned around, looking for any sign of movement, the others close behind them. Every time Barry made a false assumption of finding a Pokemon (stepping on twigs, the wind on the trees, figures in his imagination...), Lucas would giggle. After a while, though, Barry might've actually found a Pokemon and decided not to say anything because he didn't want to be laughed at. This only made Lucas laugh more.

Then, after half an hour of searching, Piplup sensed something moving in the trees. Looking up, he saw a Starly staring down at them. It seemed that it wasn't afraid of them in the least, of course that was expected from Starly. They were cool and calm, just like most Flying-Types, but they could also be very sociable. From the looks of the bigger white spot on its forehead, it was male. It was bigger than normal Starly, as forest-dwelling Flying-Types tended to be.

"Barry, Barry! A Starly!"

Barry looked at Piplup. "See something, partner?"

Piplup pointed to the Starly. "Up there! In the trees!"

Barry looked up and spotted it. "A Starly! Piplup, use Bubble!"

"Bubble!" Piplup repeated, shooting a stream of bubbles up at the Starly. It took one look upwards and flapped its wings once before it took off, moving extremely quickly overhead.

"Why is it so fast?" Renee asked, worried for Barry.

"Starly have really strong yet really agile wings," Lucas said. "Check your Pokedex."

"I almost forgot!" Renee said. She pulled out her pink Pokedex and hit a few buttons.

**"Starly: The Starling Pokemon. They usually live in big flocks and are barely noticeable when alone. Its cries are very strident and it can speak with many other bird Pokemon."**

"Wow," Renee said dreamily, studying her Pokedex further.

"I know how to get around that! Piplup, use Bide!"

"Bide!"

Piplup stood where he was, curled up, as he started to glow. The Starly flew down for a Peck attack, then Aerial Ace, and finally Take Down before Piplup released his energy and blasted Starly out of the sky, where it hit the ground with a cry of pain.

"Pokeball...Go!" Barry shouted, throwing the Pokeball. The Pokeball didn't even move very much before the shaking stopped. "_Yes_! We caught Starly!"

"Yeah!" Piplup cheered.

"Congratulations, Piplup!" Barry said, kneeling.

"Same goes for you, partner!"

"Hey, Renee," Lucas said. "It's really dark. I think the only Pokemon around now are Zubat. How about we call it a day and you can look for your Pokemon tomorrow?"

Chimchar looked upset, but Renee looked thankful. "All right, that's fine. Good job, both of you! You'll be fantastic trainers in no time! But, um, Barry?"

"What?"

"Are you _sure _you don't want to compete in the Jubilife Contest?"

"Yes, I'm sure, now stop bringing that up!"

"Actually," Lucas said, his bright smile returning. "Why don't we all enter? It'll be fun!"

"But--"

"And by that, I mean you have to."

"I hate you, Lucas...But fine."

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Every fact I put in this story is completely true. Bidoof's teeth are somewhere around eight inches long, Starly can communicate with other Pokemon...Blah, blah, blah. See you next time, when yet another character has a mental breakdown! ~Furyfur**


	3. Castform: The Weather Pokemon

**Deoxys Hunter Squad**

**A/N: I was going to update another story, but...This one is too fun to write!! Hey, at least I updated Pokemon Idol first! And LTP is next, I promise!! So, without further ado, the third installment of Deoxys Hunter Squad!**

**------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Renee looked down at the city below her, absolutely giddy with excitement. Tomorrow was the day of her first contest! She was going to stand in front of a lot of people, which, in general, made her nervous, but this time both Barry and Lucas were going to do it with her. She breathed in the air of Jubilife. The people she saw scurrying from building to building looked like ants from where she was standing. Barry caught up to her, his chest heaving.

"Renee, don't run in front of us like that! What's got you so excited?"

Renee couldn't help but wrap her arms around his neck and hug him. "I'm just so excited! You and I are going to enter a real contest! And I can dress up for the occasion, of course," she added, giggling slightly. Barry looked disgusted, still trapped between Renee's arms.

"Aw, but that means I have to dress up, too..."

Lucas finally caught up, breathing twice as hard as Barry. He stood up straighter and put his hand to his forehead in a salute as he viewed the city. "This city's a pretty one, huh?"

Renee pulled Chimchar's Pokeball off her belt. Since she had failed to catch another Pokemon, she was forced to use Chimchar. It wasn't a bad thing, since Chimchar was her very ideal best partner to be on stage with, but she dreamt the night before about using Barry's Starly...She felt some sort of pride toward Starly. According to what she saw, Starly had exceptional abilities and it was pretty as well. She would have loved to use one, but Chimchar wasn't something to complain about. He seemed excited about it, because he knew he was Renee's only Pokemon and therefore her only choice. Apparently Pokemon were smart as well as dangerous...

"Let's go!" Lucas said excitedly to Barry more than Renee. "I promised myself I would get information about at least 50 Pokemon in my Pokedex by tonight!"

"Why don't you dream a bit bigger?" Barry joked. "I need to check out the new Poketch design! I've been saving up my money for months!"

"_Yeah_!" they shouted together, punching their fists in the air in unison. They started to bolt toward the city.

"Hold it!" Renee shouted, grabbing Barry mid-run by the collar of his shirt. "We need to go find you something to wear, mister!"

"But, but...What about Lucas?" Barry asked quietly, feeling more and more abused with each passing second.

"Lucas already has something to wear."

"Really?" Barry said, laughing sheepishly. "Wh-What a nerd..."

Renee eyed him. "Come on, you're coming with me."

"Oh, can't it wait until tomorrow?" Barry pleaded.

"What if we don't find something tomorrow? Then you'll have to drop out."

"Wouldn't be so bad..." Barry mumbled, along with a few other things Renee didn't hear. Renee dragged Barry all the way down the hill into Jubilife, never letting him out of her chokehold.

She paused briefly to open her mouth slightly as the city opened up in front of her. The big, flashing lights shown against her eyes, there were people swarming from place to place, and the buildings seemed to extend to somewhere beyond the starry sky. Barry, who was still being dragged like a dog on a leash, did the same as her.

"Oh...my god," Renee whispered. It was all she could think to say. "It's so pretty."

Barry didn't answer. Renee, a little worried that he couldn't speak, released her grip and pushed him from behind. Barry continued to protest.

"Come on, Renee, I know that we can find something tomorrow, please let me go...I've been looking forward to getting a Poketch for so long..."

"In that case, you should shut up and cooperate long enough to pick something and _then _you can goof off!"

Barry started to struggle. "Renee, _please_, just give me one day..."

"No, Barry. And don't even think of running away from me, because when I find you, I'll cut you in half!" she added, causing Barry to give up trying to break free. Ignoring various odd looks from people along the way, she quickened her pace until they got to an almost-empty shop with maybe two people working in it and three people shopping there. Barry gave a horrified look at what he saw they were selling.

"Oh, come one, Renee, really, you're going to make me wear a tuxedo?!" he said angrily.

"No, of course not, Barry, I'm going to pick out a nice pink frilly dress in there," she joked. "Stop complaining, you'll look cute!"

As they entered the shop, Barry with a pouty look on his face, Renee stared lovingly at the fancy clothes. They had everything from wedding dresses to casual-looking sundresses. They had hats and shoes and jewelry...The men's section was absolutely puny compared to the women's. Barry refused to walk, so Renee pushed him over there, occasionally causing him to stumble. The other three shoppers were women that looked about fifteen, thirty, and forty. Renee noticed that the fifteen-year-old looked like a Barbie Doll, with curly blonde hair and shiny blue eyes. It was very quiet, so neither Barry nor Renee made a sound except for arguing in hushed whispers.

Barry sat down on a bench near the changing rooms and continued to pout while Renee looked around for him. She had no experience looking for clothes for a boy, so she was constantly telling herself not to pick out anything that looked too girly. She also had no experience whatsoever choosing one outfit out of a million that looked exactly the same with extremely small variations, such as the length of the sleeves. She tried to picture every one of them on Barry, but that didn't work, as she only managed to laugh herself silly and attract attention to herself. She found one that claimed to make you look taller, but that wasn't what Barry needed at all, considering he was at least a foot taller than her. She finally gave up on picking one and took the nicest looking ones (about forty-five of them to be more exact) and told Barry to go try them on. Barry looked overwhelmed, but grouchily carried them to the back and came out one-by-one wearing each of them. With every time Renee giggled and told him that one wasn't right, he would turn a brighter and brighter shade of red.

Finally, Barry emerged with a comfortable yet professional-looking tuxedo that may've looked just like the other ones, but Renee and Barry silently agreed that this one was right.

"It's cute!" Renee had no problem saying aloud. "You look adorable, Barry!"

"Thanks," Barry grumbled, the quietness in his voice telling Renee to keep it down. Renee giggled and looked at the price tag, and then the smile disappeared from her face.

"One thousand?" she said breathlessly. "What, does it have a sports car attached? This must be the most expensive one in the place!"

"Does that mean we have to look for another one?" Barry whined.

"I couldn't help overhear," a cool and sweet female's voice said. Renee turned to see the Barbie Doll girl. She smiled to be polite, but she felt oddly competitive toward her. "My name is Vanilla. Well, my real name is Barbara Kelly Bells, but all of my friends call me Vanilla."

Barry seemed to be staring at her in some sort of trance, but Renee was trying to work her way around how much her real first name fit her. Barry tried to speak first:

"I...ah...err...you...I...uh..." was all that came out. Renee nudged his arm to shut him up, but his facial expression didn't change.

"Excuse me?" Vanilla asked awkwardly.

"I nah..." Barry squeaked. Vanilla ignored him and turned back to Renee.

"That tux looks very good on him! It's a shame you can't afford it."

This time Barry couldn't bring himself to utter a single sound. His mouth continued to hang wide open in shock.

"Would you mind if I helped you a bit? I can pay for it."

It was Renee's turn to be in disbelief. "You will?! All of it?! I mean, I can't..."

"Yes, all of it," Vanilla laughed. "And I'll get you a dress, also...My guess is that either you're going to a wedding, or perhaps you're entering the Jubilife contest?"

"We're entering the Jubilife contest. But really, you don't have to pay for it, it's fine..."

"No, I insist. I'm attending as well, and I already have my own outfit."

"Thank you!" Renee said eagerly, losing desire to be polite in her gratitude. She shook herself a little. "Um, I'm Renee, by the way, and this is Barry."

"Barry," Vanilla repeated. She giggled. "That's a cute name."

Barry drooled a little out of the corner of his mouth.

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"That girl was nice," Renee said as she left the store, the bag with her new dress in it in her hands. She felt a little guilty for going overboard, but Vanilla hadn't seemed to mind at all.

Barry's silence had left him and now he couldn't stop chattering. "I can't believe her father owns the Poketch company! Maybe I can get one for free since I know her..." His desire for a Poketch seemed to subside as well, but he continued to talk about it.

"Aw, you like Vanilla!" Renee said aloud.

"Shh, not so loud!" Barry said, blushing.

"So you do like her?"

"No, I don't, it's just cool and all..."

Barry grinned and stared into space as he began to rant once more, but Renee checked her watch. It was 9:30. She silently reminded herself that curfew at the Pokemon Center was eleven.

"I wonder how she got her hair like that? I wonder if it's natural, because it's almost perfect..."

"You wanna go look for Lucas?"

"Where is he?" Barry said, breaking from his trance.

"Where isn't he? He wants to get fifty Pokedex entries...He must be exhausted...Not to mention all over the place..."

Barry brought himself to laugh. Renee giggled as well.

"Hey, Renee! And the blonde one!" a familiar voice called.

"Lucas! Perfect timing! We were just talking about you!"

Lucas frowned. "You were laughing."

"I know," Barry said coolly. Then he paused. "The blonde one?"

"We should get back to the Pokemon Center just to be safe. I don't want to be locked out."

"But I didn't get to buy a Poketch yet!" Barry whined.

"Tomorrow."

"But I only have thirty-four Pokedex entries!" Lucas whined.

"Tomorrow," Renee repeated, more coldly. Barry and Lucas both looked at her with sad, pleading eyes. Renee blushed, sighed, and looked away quickly. "Okay. How about we split up and be back by ten?"

"Ten thirty," Barry argued.

"Fine," Renee said desperately. "But once you finish what you're doing, be back in our room! The last one back cleans up the others' mess!"

"Deal," Lucas and Barry said at the same time.

"But Renee, what are you doing?" Lucas asked.

"What I _should _be doing," Renee said hotly while bragging a bit. "Not goofing off! I'm getting Chimchar ready for the contest."

Barry stared at her with disgusted eyes. "Killjoy," he said flatly. Then, Lucas turned and speed walked to who-knows-where. Barry did the same. Renee smiled.

_For the first time in weeks..._Renee thought to herself. _I can have some real fun!_

**---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Renee put her headphones in her ears and turned the volume up as high as it would go. It was playing a hardcore dance-techno song. She pushed open the double doors and looked around, smiling to herself. She quickly picked out some of the cutest clothes she could find and hurried to the changing room, now humming to herself. The door closed with a click. She sat down and pushed her stubborn brunette hair out of her eyes and kicked off her shoes. She grabbed the bottom of her shirt and pulled it off, causing her hair to fly out of place again. She threw it carelessly onto the bench and unbuttoned her jeans, humming louder. She was about to pull them off, but she heard a giggle that was audible even with the loud music playing. The door quivered a bit. Renee stopped undressing and felt her face grow hotter and her anger rising.

"Who's there?!" she spat.

The giggling grew louder. Renee stormed open to the door and grabbed it.

"I'm going to open this now, and if I see a group of perverted little kids, I'm going to teach them a lesson!" she called. The giggling grew louder, and Renee reminded herself that she wasn't wearing a top. She just barely opened the door, and she just barely got a glimpse of something faded pink before...

The door swung open! Renee felt her face get ten times hotter and redder as well. She reached out for the door, seized it, and slammed it shut, though she had seem dozens of people turn to take a full look at her. She started to breath heavily, red with embarrassment, before she decided it would be stupid to wait around any longer without a shirt. She picked it up, stuck her head through, and pulled it back down, steaming with anger. As much as she wanted to stay hidden in the changing room and never have to face the outside world again, she wanted just as badly to find the culprit and knock some sense into him. She opened the door and slammed it shut behind her. People stared and a few whispered to one another.

"Got a problem?" she spat after someone was having an extremely loud conversation about "the insane flashing lunatic." They shook their heads quickly.

She walked as fast as she could without looking insane as she made her way through the crowd of people. _It...It was pink..._she told herself, trying to remember what it looked like. _A very, very pale pink...Or maybe it was just pinkish-gray...And it was so small...Maybe it was a ghost!_

And, as if on cue, something in front of her shouted, "BOO!" in her face, knocking her backwards. She stumbled a bit and took a good look at it. It was a ghost! A pink-and-white ghost with nice-looking eyes and a friendly smile. People turned to stare. Renee thought that today would make her very well-known in this city.

"A Pokemon?" she wondered out loud, opening her Pokedex.

**"Castform, the Weather Pokemon. Castform is able to change its appearance depending on the weather. It uses the power of nature to transform in order to protect its small body."**

"Oh!" Renee said airily. "It _was_ a Pokemon. That's a relief."

"Fooooooooaaaaa!" Castform cooed just as airily.

"Oh, pardon me, is Casty bothering you?" an all-too-familiar voice said. Renee turned around.

"Vanilla!"

Vanilla gave a little giggle. "Nice to see you again, Renee."

"Is this your Pokemon?" Renee asked politely, making a motion toward Castform.

"Yes, well, one of them. He's a little prankster, Castform, and he seemed to have gotten away from me. Terribly sorry. Did he cause you any trouble?"

Renee blushed and scratched the back of her head. Vanilla was the last person on earth Renee would've told about Castform's "little prank."

"No, no trouble, he just startled me a bit..."

"Oh, that's good," Vanilla said, shrugging a little. "Castform is the Pokemon I'm using in the Jubilife Contest, so I wouldn't want him to get on the public's bad side one day before the contest...If you don't mind, Renee, what Pokemon are you using?"

Renee wasn't exactly eager to say "I'm using a Chimchar," but she had no other Pokemon to lie about. "Well, um, it's my first contest, you see...So I'm using, ah, err...Chimchar."

"A Chimchar?" Vanilla said, disbelieving laughter in her voice. "You're using a Chimchar? In your _first_ contest? You _do_ want to win, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Renee said quietly. Vanilla paused and fell silent as she saw that she was serious.

"Well...See, Chimchar is kind of...I only use the best of show Pokemon," she blurted. "Castform is considered one of my lower-class Pokemon, but he was the first Pokemon I ever used in a contest. Chimchar is...I don't want to be rude, but..."

"Go ahead," Renee urged.

"Well...Chimchar is ugly."

Renee stared. "Okay, I'm open for opinions," she said politely. Vanilla frowned.

"What Pokemon is Barry using?" Vanilla said quickly, trying to change the subject.

Renee got a sinking feeling in her stomach. "He hasn't decided yet. Either a Starly or a Piplup."

"I see..." Vanilla said softly, looking just as judgmental. "Is it his first time as well?"

"Yes."

"I thought so," Vanilla dared to say. "Well, I don't like to talk behind peoples' backs, but there are probably six or seven trainers using those amateur Pokemon. I hope your new clothes stand out," she said a little flatly before turning to walk away. Renee stood there for a second, mind buzzing, trying to think of some sort of way to save her from embarrassment...She started to panic...

"But Lucas!" Renee said desperately.

Vanilla turned. "Lucas?"

"Another one of my friends...He's entering with a purebred Glameow! It's won over a hundred contests and never lost one!"

Vanilla seemed interested now. "A purebred Glameow! That's incredible!" she said in awe. "How come I don't know about him?"

"He's competed far away from here...The Fiore region," Renee lied.

Vanilla smiled. "That's just...just...wow!" she said breathlessly.

Feeling relieved and able to think better, a thought rolled carelessly into Renee's mind, and she snapped to reality. She checked her watch: 10:45.

"Oh no!" she blurted. "Vanilla, I'm sorry, I have to go if I want to make it to the Pokemon Center before it closes!"

Vanilla was still staring into space, daydreaming about what Renee guessed to be a handsome boy competing in a Pokemon contest in Fiore. "Okay," she said dreamily.

"Good luck tomorrow!"

Renee had just turned around when she heard a shriek and a gagging sound coming from behind her. She looked back to see a huge man with at least twenty tattoos on each arm. He had both of his arms around Vanilla's neck--Vanilla was trying in vain to resist--and he had a hungry expression on his face. Renee started to panic again.

"You're a cute one, little lady, our boss would just love you!" he snarled.

"Let me go!" Vanilla coughed. "My grandfather is the chief of police, I'm warning you--"

Two more thugs about twice the size of Vanilla and yet half the size of the leader surrounded her, guffawing nastily. Renee seemed to act on reflexes: She whipped out Chimchar's Pokeball and threw it so it landed a few feet in front of the thugs.

"Chimchar, I need your help!" she yelled.

The Pokeball burst open the second it hit the ground. In a flashing red light, Chimchar appeared, in a stance that was ready to both dodge or attack.

"Stupid kid," the gang's leader said. He took out a Pokeball, began to throw it, but stopped just as he was about to release it. "Hang on, let's make this a little more interesting, Girly. If you win, I'll give you my Pokemon, but if I win..." He got a nasty smile on his face. "You come back with me and sleep with all three of us, one-by-one."

Renee's first reaction was a disgusted look, but then she reminded herself of Chimchar's attitude toward battling. He was strong, confident, and he was powerful as well. Even now, as Chimchar had the look of triumph on his face, Renee found herself easing up. Plus, if she won...

"I accept," Renee said defiantly. Vanilla's eyes were sparkling.

"Not that you have much of a choice," the leader said. "And when I win, you'll need my name, I suppose...I'm Bomber." He made a motion to his sidekicks with his huge arm. "These are Bone and Rex."

"Where'd you get those nicknames? As if no one has heard those before," Renee retorted.

"I'll show you to speak to your future sex partner like that," he growled. "Go, Koffing!"

As Bomber threw the Pokeball, it just barely touched the ground before it exploded in a blinding red light. A purple crater-looking ball with a skull on its chest emerged. A thick, black smoke leaked out of the holes in its body and lingered in the air a few feet before disappearing. Renee lost all will for the prize and decided to just resist the penalty. Vanilla looked just as disgusted and squealed a little under Rex's chokehold.

"Koffing, use Destiny Bond!" Bomber commanded. A silver slab of light formed in front of Koffing and whizzed over to Chimchar. It collided with Chimchar and made a painful cracking sound. Renee cringed at this, but Chimchar turned to her and gave her a thumbs-up. Renee was puzzled, yet amazed. Chimchar hadn't taken any sort of damage at all, nor were any of his abilities touched. _What does Destiny Bond do? _she asked herself, a little worried.

"Well, if that's all you've got, we'll just attack now. Chimchar, use Ember!" she called. Chimchar gave a "Char!" in agreement and a frenzy of fiery sparks emitted from his mouth. Koffing stood his ground and took every bit of the hit, sending him backwards, but Koffing didn't change his position or make any attempt to counterattack. Renee thought that if this was the way Koffing battled this would be over quickly, but, right in the middle of the attack, Chimchar ceased his Ember and dropped to his knees, panting.

"Chimchar?!"

"I see you're completely unaware of Destiny Bond's affect. What an amateur," Bomber said tartly. Renee glared and lowered her gaze to her suffering Pokemon. "It creates a spiritual connection between our Pokemon. Kind of like the connection you and I will have later on." Renee scowled.

She thought this over. Did that mean that she couldn't attack Koffing without the damage being done to herself as well? There had to be some way around that...Some sort of ability that Chimchar had to block Destiny Bond...Renee searched her mind for an answer, but she couldn't find one. If this kept up, she would lose, and then she would have to...Renee shuddered.

"Koffing, use Smog!" Bomber shouted.

"Koffing," Koffing agreed. It inhaled greatly, and as it did, it grew at least twice its size. The smoke leaking from the holes in Koffing's body went from slow and steady to forced and muddy black. The smoke filled the air within seconds, causing Renee to lean over and choke harshly into both hands. She tried to breath to make up for lost air, but the second she started to inhale, her lungs started to ache and she coughed even more, only making her lose more air. She started to panic--were Chimchar and Vanilla feeling the same?--as she felt she was suffocating. Bomber bellowed a nasty laugh, and Bone and Rex guffawed with amusement.

"Chimchar--_hack, choke, hack_--look out!" she coughed, barely able to make out words. Chimchar couldn't tell what she was saying, along with the fact he couldn't do anything trying to breath in the smoky blackness. Renee's eyes darted over to Vanilla, who appeared to be suffering. She, Rex, and Bone were also being caught up in the attack. Rex and Bone looked extremely awkward trying to laugh at her and cough the smog out of their lungs at the same time.

"Koffing, Sludge Bomb!" she heard Bomber's voice say. She started to panic even more--Chimchar was the only thing visible through the smoke because of the flame on his tail, and he was too busy coughing rapidly into his arm to resist an attack. Once more, Renee searched her head for a possible answer to the situation and found nothing.

"You can see its tail!" Bomber bellowed when nothing happened. "Get it now! Find it, you idiot of a--"

"_Endure_!" Renee screamed at the light, finally coming up with what she considered to be a stroke of genius. "_Chimchar, use Endure_!"

She stopped her command as she noticed that Chimchar would never be able to do it. He had never done it before, and he was in no condition to use any attack.

But, to Renee's complete surprise, Chimchar turned back to her with a satisfied smirk on his face. He put his arms to an X form and let out a wail. Streaks of a pale light shot up around his body, and he was covered with an eerie red glow and his tail began to flare up. _Blaze_? she thought to herself. _Chimchar's special ability?_

Koffing's Sludge Bomb hit Chimchar, but Chimchar took almost no damage thanks to Endure. She felt the panic leave her. Chimchar was so amazing! She reminded herself of Blaze's affect: Chimchar's Fire-Type moves grew stronger. She thought of a strong Fire-Type move that Chimchar would be able to use, her fear fully replaced with newfound confidence in her partner. She had questioned that Pokemon and humans could ever really be friends, and she had feared trying to find the answer, but Chimchar had changed that. She knew that some Pokemon really could be trusted, but she still knew in the corner of her heart that some Pokemon were still bad, and she would always fear those who used Pokemon for the wrong reason...but Chimchar really was her partner.

"Chimchar, Flamethrower!"

A huge ball of fire formed in Chimchar's mouth, fueled by the energy on his tail, and he cast it at Koffing in a huge, breathtaking blast of fire. The light made the smoke clear up, and the explosion caused Renee's face to light up the reddish-orange color of the flame, reflecting the light in her amazed eyes. When the light subsided, Koffing lay defeated on the ground.

Bomber cursed under his breath as he turned and ran, leaving Koffing's Pokeball behind, and Renee stared transfixed at Koffing. Her mind wrapped around the concept very slowly. Vanilla was released as Bone and Rex ran in a fleeting attempt to catch up with their leader.

"Renee!" Vanilla called, a broad grin on her face. "You won! You did it! You won!"

Once Renee had contemplated the outcome of the battle, her eyes fell from Koffing to Chimchar, who was bruised, panting, and staring at Renee with sad, wary eyes.

"Chimchar," she said in awe, finding her voice. "You--We did it?"

Chimchar gave a weak nod, and Renee dashed forward and gave him a squeeze. "You were awesome, Chimchar, you totally rocked!" she cheered him, hugging him tight. She released him and lowered him to take a good look at him. Chimchar still didn't look at all happy. Renee's smile faded. "Chimchar, are you--?

Without warning, Chimchar burst into tears. Renee leaned back quickly, taken aback at Chimchar's sudden cries. He whimpered softly as Vanilla approached, examining him.

"How long have you had him?"

"Not long," Renee muttered, feeling useless to her partner. "A few weeks."

"How much as he been out of his Pokeball?"

"Only...when we battle. That's all," Renee said slowly, now understanding why Chimchar was so sad.

"How many battles has he been in?"

Renee paused, now feeling extremely tired and just wanted to disappear and not have to face anyone or answer this question. "Twice," she whispered with absolute regret.

"Well, I think the problem is--"

"I know, I know!" Renee gasped, tears coming to her eyes as well as she watched Chimchar cry. "I get it, I'm a terrible trainer, but I'll sort this out, I promise I will!!"

She seized Chimchar, causing him to make a surprised gasp, and ran around Vanilla back toward the Pokemon Center, leaving Koffing behind. She didn't want Barry and Lucas to see her cry, but there was no other place to run. When she got there, it was 10:55. She had barely made it, but didn't even notice. As she continued to run, her hair flying out of place, she remembered Chimchar's first battle. Chimchar had been brave and listened to her every command even though he hadn't known her. It was all her fault he had been poisoned, all her fault he had been hurt so badly, and her fault he had to be frightened by the poison antidote. And yet, after she had gotten hurt, he had still trusted her and didn't do anything to her when she held him down to hurt him even more. Chimchar was her most loyal friend, her most loyal partner. She was now crying quietly as she stormed up the stairs, holding a silent Chimchar in her arms. He was looking up at her, worried for her, but Renee did not meet his gaze.

When she was standing outside their room, she stopped. She took one arm away from Chimchar to wipe the tears from her eyes. She slowed her breathing as much as she could, trying to make it normal. Chimchar was still silent and innocent, as if he couldn't remember what he was crying about, or Renee's feelings were more important. With another shuddering gasp, she grabbed the door and opened it. Her first thought was that she must've looked insane, with her hair still out of place and her face was wet with tears and sweat. Her first thought, however, disappeared as her second thought entered her head. She dropped to her knees instantly, making Chimchar squeak.

"Wh-What are you guys doing?" she asked when she saw Lucas and Barry, watching TV on one of the two beds. She didn't need the answer, though, because she could see for herself. Lucas was eating a piece of pizza off a plastic plate, but Barry had two pieces in both of his hands and was biting them one at a time, with each bite devouring at least half of the slice. Judging from the twelve empty boxes thrown carelessly in front of the TV and the various plates and crust staining the room, they had thrown some sort of party and didn't bother to clean up, hoping Renee would live up to her promise.

"R-Renee!" Lucas stuttered. "I-I...I was totally against it, I swear!"

Barry took one look at her and recognized her condition. "Don't talk to her, Lucas, if you bug her she'll kill you."

"No, I'm not going to kill you," Renee mumbled, standing up and rubbing her forehead. "I just have a headache..."

Barry smiled. "In that case, good luck. You promised, remember? You were the last one back, so you have to clean up the mess!"

Renee gave a heaving sigh and sat down on the bed, placing her head in her hands. Lucas frowned.

"Barry, you're so insensitive! I'll help you, Renee. Okay?" he offered.

Renee smiled unconvincingly at him. "Thanks, Lucas, you're the best."

Lucas grinned happily at her and put his arms around her shoulder, helping her up. Chimchar sat at the edge of the bed, gazing at them as they began to clean the mess while chatting conversationally. Inspired by them, he began to help them by happily eating any leftovers, no matter where he found them.

Five minutes passed--Lucas and Renee had cleaned most of the mess, but there was still a bad smell lingering in the room. They decided to leave it for the cleaning lady in the morning when they heard Nurse Joy call that it was eleven o'clock and everyone was to be in bed.

"Problem!" Barry said when both Renee and Lucas had finished changing.

"I'd say that's a problem, all right, and you should see a doctor about that," Lucas said slyly.

"What?!"

"Just kidding...What's the problem?"

Barry looked at Lucas like he was an idiot, but he obviously just wanted to get back at Lucas, because he only ended up making himself look stupid. He said very, very slowly, "Two beds. Three people. Am I speaking too fast?" Lucas glared at him. Renee just shook her head. Sometimes Barry just tried too hard and ended up failing.

"Two of us will have to share a bed. Is this not making enough sense? Should I use smaller words?" Lucas said just as slowly.

"Well, Chimchar and I are sharing a bed, so you two can share one."

Lucas and Barry looked at her madly. "Are you insane?!" they said in unison. Renee, no matter how tired she was, giggled.

"No!" Barry said. "I refuse! This is mutiny! Mutiny! I need my own bed! Renee, you and Lucas can share a bed! Chimchar is small enough!"

"Whatever," Renee said. "Look, I don't care, but I've had a rough day and I want to lie down." Barry scoffed, but Lucas looked worried. "G'night."

"G'night," Barry muttered.

Lucas and Renee took the bed nearest the window, and Barry took the one on the other side of the room. Renee took the left side of the bed and Lucas took the right. Chimchar was lying comfortably in the space between the two pillows.

"Sleep well," Lucas told her in a low voice. "You'll need your energy for tomorrows contest."

Renee gave something between a wince and a grunt.

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Lucas jumped slightly from his sleep, startled, to the sound of a crying and gasping sound. He turned around where he was lying to see Renee, turned onto her side so Lucas couldn't see her face, crying quietly to herself. He put a hand on her shoulder.

"Renee, are you all right?"

"No..."

He sat up. "You've been really down about something since you came back. Did something happen while you were gone?"

Renee hugged him and continued to weep. "I'm a failure as a trainer, Lucas, I couldn't catch a single Pokemon and I never considered the feelings of the one I already have. And now, the one Pokemon I could manage to catch...I left it out where I found it. I can't keep it."

Lucas looked surprised. "Why not?" he said softly, hugging her back as gently as possible.

"Because I'd treat it just like Chimchar...I can't put another living being through so little care, Lucas, I just can't..."

Lucas wondered about the Pokemon she caught, but decided it wasn't the time for questions. He hugged her tighter. "Don't say that, Renee, I know you care about Chimchar...And you can handle any challenge thrown at you, so don't be so afraid that you aren't caring enough. You're the most caring person I've ever met, and you deserve to know that."

Renee shut her eyes and sniffed. "Thank you, Lucas."

Lucas shut his eyes as well. "You need some sleep before tomorrow. I believe in you, Renee, and so does Chimchar. Sweet dreams."

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"Renee? Why are you still sleeping? Wake up!" a voice said. Renee didn't open her eyes. She closed them tighter. She had heard a voice just now, a voice calling to her, but she didn't know who it was...

"Renee? Come on, it's morning!"

There it was again...she heard a voice...but it was too far away...she wanted to catch it...Her hand rose and she swatted at it...

"OW!!! Renee, up, _now_!" the voice said angrily. Renee opened her eyes and focused them at the voice. Barry was sitting eye-to-eye with her. He had a big red mark on the side of his face and he looked angry.

"...Huh? Barry? Did I just--"

"Slap me in your sleep? Yeah, you did."

She heard a warmhearted laugh from the other side of the room. She sat up restlessly and turned her head to see Lucas pouring water into a glass from a plastic jug. Renee found herself blushing for no apparent reason. Barry seemed to notice and punched her 'playfully' in the arm.

"That's for slapping me," he lied.

"It's ten, Renee, we let you sleep in," Lucas said happily, bringing the glass over to Renee and handing it to her. Renee, feeling slightly babied, took the glass without speaking and drank it, still red in the face. Of course Lucas wouldn't just _forget _what happened last night...she was crying into his shoulder...she herself found it hard to forget...and yet, Lucas was polite enough not to bring it up.

"_I _suggested we let you sleep in longer," Barry boasted, but Renee knew perfectly well that Barry wasn't that patient and was switching ideas with Lucas. "Of course, he wanted you up at the same time we were up. That jerk..."

"Did you sleep well?" Lucas asked, completely ignoring Barry's rant.

"Well enough," she answered.

"Oh, you answer him, but not me?!"

"Oh, almost forgot," Lucas said under his breath, beginning to rummage in his backpack for something. Renee tried to smooth out her stubborn bed head, but there was barely a difference by the time Lucas pulled out a shiny red-and-white ball out of his backpack. Renee recognized it at once.

"No!" she said in disbelief. "Lucas, you didn't!"

"Someone told Barry you had been in a fight and left a Pokeball there," Lucas explained.

"By someone, he means Vanilla!" Barry said dreamily. Lucas gritted his teeth, annoyed.

"Barry was flirting with who seemed to be his future sex toy, except in Gibberish. So I went down to check it out," he finished. Renee couldn't help but give a weak smile, remembering his words last night. "So, what do you say? Will you give it a second chance?"

"Sure," she said, feeling unusually shy. She still wasn't exactly very proud of her new Pokemon.

"Renee got a Pokemon?" Barry whined. "No fair! Well, what is it? Show us!"

Renee sighed heavily. "Fine." She tossed the Pokeball lazily onto the ground. Koffing popped out, greeting everyone. It wasn't the greatest of entrances, but Lucas was thoroughly amazed.

"A Koffing!" he said with interest. He flipped open his Pokedex.

**"Koffing, the Poison Gas Pokemon. Getting up close to Koffing will give you a chance to observe, through its thin skin, the toxic gasses swirling inside. It blows up at the slightest stimulation."**

Barry, who had been looking at it with disgust, jumped backwards in surprise, tripping on the bed he was sitting on, and topples backwards onto his head, shouting "It explodes?!" at the top of his lungs. Renee and Lucas didn't notice at all, just continued to study Koffing. Barry's legs slid off the bed and he sat up, rubbing his head.

"I hate you two, you know that?" he asked brusquely.

Considering what the Pokedex said about the gases, Renee studied Koffing thoroughly. Since she hadn't gotten a chance to see him up close before, she only just noticed that one of his eyes was black and the other was a shiny silver.

"What's up with its eyes?" she asked Lucas.

Lucas studied him. "It's half-blind," he said. "It seems to be able to see us well enough, so it shouldn't be a problem..."

Renee remembered how, in the battle with Bomber, Chimchar was the only thing visible through the smoke and yet Koffing couldn't find him. "That's good," she said, thinking too hard to say anything else.

"That's fantastic, Renee!" Lucas continued. "Which of your Pokemon do you want to use in the contest?"

"I'll stick with Chimchar."

"How about you use Chimchar in the appeal round and Koffing in the battle round?" he offered. Renee thought this over, considering Vanilla's opinion and Koffing's sight.

"It would work better the other way."

Lucas looked surprised. "Really? But I thought you wouldn't be proud of--"

"Chimchar is a better battler and Koffing has moves that could work better for appealing. Plus, when we battled Bomber, he couldn't find Chimchar quick enough thanks to his eyes, so he won't be as great a battler."

"Okay...But, later on, you should give Koffing a battle chance, too! I want to see one in action..."

Lucas went into a long rant, and Renee stared unblinkingly at Koffing, forming a strategy in her head based off what she saw Bomber tell him to do. Koffing, of course, had to use a battle style that didn't involve great eyesight. The crowd wouldn't find him very appealing, but if he did an exceptionally good performance, they could move onto the next round and Chimchar could take over. After she thought about it, Renee realized that every Pokemon could use a winning battle style, you just had to find the right one.

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

"Welcome to the Jubilife City Pokemon Contest!" the master of ceremonies called. "I'm your host and master of ceremonies, Marian! I'm here live in Jubilife City in hopes of seeking our next top coordinator! If this is your first contest, each contestant uses one Pokemon each round and tries to wow our three judges! Let me introduce you to...Mr. Contesta!"

Mr. Contesta, a nice-looking man with graying hair and a red suit with a black bowtie stood up and waved. People cheered, and he sat back down.

"Our next judge, Mr. Sukizo!" Marian called.

Mr. Sukizo stood up and waved as well. He was a very short man in a gray suit and squinty eyes. "It's remarkable to be here!" he said to the cheering crowd.

"Jubilife's very own Nurse Joy!"

Renee gasped. She had seen that woman before. She had healed her Pokemon as soon as they arrived in Jubilife City and after she battled Bomber. The young-looking woman with pink hair in curled pigtails stood up. She was still in her nurse uniform, and Renee didn't blame her, for she looked very good in it. Lucas and Barry agreed with glittering eyes.

"It's wonderful to be here, but you should be cheering for our contestants, not for me!" she said brightly.

"No need to waste time!" Marian said into the microphone. "Here's our first contestant, who has won two ribbons in Jubilife already! Please welcome, Vanilla Bells!"

"Wow!" Barry said. "Vanilla's the first up!"

Barry fell silent, however, when Vanilla appeared through the curtains. Her curled, blonde hair was down gracefully and reaching her knees. She had a delicate pink bow on the back of her hair. She was wearing a frilly pink-and-white dress with about a hundred bows. She had dainty, shiny black shoes similar to tap shoes.

"Castform, it's your show!" she called, throwing Castform's Pokeball. Castform appeared in the red light, "Fooooooooaaaaa"ing with delight. The crowd cheered with amusement. Barry cheered as well. Renee's heart was beating out her chest and she was gripping hard onto Lucas's arm with all her might. Lucas said nothing.

"Castform, spin and use Ominous Wind!" Vanilla shouted.

Castform spun so quickly around and around that Renee couldn't tell which side of him was which. A few seconds after he reached a stable pace, a purplish-blue light surrounded Castform, spinning with him in a figure-eight formation. Renee looked awed as Castform started to sparkle purple as the light engulfed him. The spotlights shined on and off him as he spun.

"Now stop!"

Castform's spinning ceased instantly, causing the light to break and fly off, causing an oddly-colored wind. The crowd cheered.

"It's time for our costume change! Castform, use Hail to switch to Snow-cloud form!"

Castform shot a beam of an icy wind toward the sky, which formed into a large, gray cloud. A white, powdery snow began to fall. To everyone's surprise, the cloud split open to reveal a bone-chilling light that reflected on Castform. Castform began to glitter and his appearance changed. He was now a small, swirling gray cloud with a purple core. It had the same eyes and the same mischievous smile. The audience clapped even louder.

"Now use Blizzard on the stage!"

Castform turned so he was facing the stage beneath where he was floating and shot Blizzard, freezing the entire stage to make a beautiful snowy wonderland. The audience roared with applause. Vanilla bowed politely, and she and Castform dashed off the stage behind the curtains.

Renee made a mental note on how Vanilla was using her surroundings to help Castform appeal to the crowd. Using a Pokemon like Koffing, she would need all the tips she could get. Her heart hammered even harder. She thought she was about to throw up. She turned to Lucas: He was impressed by Castform's performance, obviously, but it was hard to tell with the fact that he was biting his fingernails with his free hand and his face was very pale. Renee was wearing a dress that she thought was like a ball gown. It was a pale purple silk with the same color ruffles dancing across her waist. From about her knees down, the purple combined with a silky white covered with purple bows. Barry and Lucas were barely recognizable: They were both wearing tuxedos. Renee remembered Lucas's from one that was supposed to make you taller that she saw at the shop. She thought it had worked exceptionally well. Another drastic change was that he had took off his hat, and this was the first time she had seen his full head. His hair resembled the fur on a baby chick's head, except it was thicker and it was just barely standing up in the front. Renee told him this, and he flattened it without saying a word and getting paler still.

Barry was wearing the tuxedo that they had picked out, and now that he was wearing it without a bright blush in his face, (Renee giggled to herself) his hair looked kind of like he was balancing a duck on his head. Barry turned to see what she was laughing about, but Renee thought fast and said that the next coordinator had just made a stupid mistake. This worked well because he wasn't exactly paying close attention to the show. Not because he was nervous, to Renee's surprise, because he was bored.

Renee hadn't realized how many people had signed up for the contest. There seemed to be at least seventy backstage, and there must've been more behind the curtains out of sight. Vanilla was right. At least nine or ten people had a Chimchar, Piplup, or Turtwig. She guessed that they were new trainers, because Professor Rowan's lab wasn't very far from Jubilife. Renee's breath quickened. They all seemed to be good. There was a Roselia, Steelix, Vaporeon, Milotic, Kecleon...Renee lost count after that, as she, like Lucas, was now busy with her fingernails.

"Our next contestant, a new coordinator, Barry!" Marian called, waking Renee up.

"Huh? Barry's up?"

Lucas decided not to answer.

Barry darted fearlessly onto the stage, a determined look in his eyes and Piplup's Pokeball gripped tightly in his hand.

"Go, Piplup!" Barry shouted. Renee noticed he had thrown the Pokeball differently, and calculated from this that he had been up all night trying out new poses. He held it with both hands up above his head and then threw it forward. Piplup emerged from the Pokeball, looking just as proud as he always did. Renee wondered to herself if Barry actually planned out what he would tell Piplup to do or decided to take his chances. Renee told herself that Barry wouldn't be much competition, and pinched herself for saying that the second he started.

"Bubblebeam!"

Piplup looked up to the ceiling and opened his beak. A fast-moving stream of bubbles shot in a straight line. The second they collided with the ceiling, they broke off into different perfect streaks of bubbles in all different directions. After they settled down, sticking to the roof, they bobbed around, bouncing and reflecting light from cameras. The audience cheered. The bubbles were now slowly sinking down to the ground...

"Now use Peck!"

Piplup leapt up toward the bubbles and struck each one with his beak. Renee's heart was pounding twice as fast as she suddenly wished she hadn't entered. Lucas had his eyes shut tightly. Renee wondered if he was feeling sick. Barry gave Piplup a few more orders and kept the show going...

"I'm next," he said hoarsely. Renee turned to him.

"Then...shouldn't you be in place?"

"I can't," he murmured. "I can't stand up in front of all these people. I'll freeze up once I get out there..."

Renee, who had just barely felt the same, was suddenly filled to the brim with anger as she stood up.

"Lucas, you told me last night that you believed in me!! You said that I could handle any challenge thrown at me!! If you can't believe enough in yourself, than you lied to me!!"

Lucas stood up as well. "I didn't lie to you! I was telling you the truth!" he barked angrily. People turned to stare and whispered to each other. "Don't call me a liar!"

"Then prove to me that you were telling the truth!!"

"_I will_!!" Lucas said, now yelling at the floor with his eyes shut tight. Renee took advantage of this and smiled. "I'm going to win this entire contest, and then you'll see!!"

Lucas froze and opened his eyes to stare at her. Renee tried to stop smiling, but she couldn't. Lucas blushed and ran his fingers nervously through his hair.

"Thanks, Renee, I owe you one..." he murmured, staring at the floor. Renee gave him a thumbs up. Looking at the screen, they saw that Barry had just finished his performance and gotten great scores from the judges.

"Get out there," Renee said, grinning. "Set an example for me and crush Barry into the dirt."

Lucas chuckled warmly and speed-walked toward the hallways and out of sight. Renee put her hand to her heart. It was beating slower now, but still faster than usual. She had always thought of Barry, ever since they met, as some kind of boyfriend. They had held hands before (when they were six), he had kissed her on the cheek (both their fifth birthdays, since they were both on the same day), and there was still the matter of him saving her life from the Water Pokemon. Now, as Lucas came along, Renee's thoughts of Barry had dropped out of her mind. She had never had such a powerful attraction to anyone except Barry, who was like a brother, but now that she and Lucas were so close, Barry only seemed to get more and more immature with every passing day. As Renee tried to look back on the past events of the few previous weeks, it had seemed like Barry and Lucas hated each other in a more violent way than rivalries. Renee felt a mixture of annoyance and sympathy toward Barry now, but Lucas was just a friend. A passing crush, maybe. She wouldn't date either of them, she wanted to date someone different...

Renee thought the conflict of Barry versus Lucas over in her mind for what seemed like a few seconds. She snapped out of it, however, when Marian's voice rang out:

"That's half the coordinators for the first round! We'll have a short intermission before announcing the finalists continuing to the next round from the first group and continuing onto the second!"

_Oh, shoot!! How long was I spacing?! _she asked herself. The question was answered for her when Lucas and Barry wandered into the room.

"Nice job, Lucas," Renee said unsurely, as she had no idea how Lucas did.

Lucas looked tired and confused. "I did so terribly, I just know I'm going to lose, I stuttered way too much..."

"I don't think it was a problem," Renee protested, still unsurely.

"I agree with Lucas," Barry said bitterly. Renee shot him a nasty look, but she felt twice as guilty.

"I'm going to get something to eat. Coming?" Renee said, changing the subject.

"Yeah, I'm starved!"

"Oh, I think I'll stay...--" Lucas started, but he stopped as Renee gave him a glare. "S-Sure...Okay!"

Lucas, though still grateful for Renee's attempt to cheer him up, stayed quiet. Renee didn't want to talk either, but Barry seemed to be twice as talkative and tried to convince Renee to tell him her entire opinion word-for-word. Renee was reluctant to do this, but she tried to complement Barry in every aspect possible while letting her mind wander. Barry looked very proud as he nodded with every sentence Renee managed to make up, occasionally giving Lucas a victorious look, which Lucas had no problem pretending he didn't see. Renee was thinking too hard to be woken by anything, so she couldn't remember what they ate. All she remembered was that she got carried away in her thoughts and ate so much, she felt extremely sick when she returned to her senses.

"Contestants, please return backstage to prepare for the second groups' performances!"

"That'd be you," Barry said casually, as if he'd done this a million times before. "You better get going."

"Please come with me!" Renee said desperately.

"We will, at least until you get up. Then you're on your own." Lucas shut his mouth as he realized it was the wrong thing to say.

Renee, feeling a little better now that she knew Lucas and Barry would talk to her until she got up. That would take her mind off things. When they got inside, Renee's mind buzzing, she decided the Barry-and-Lucas conflict would be much easier to decide if she talked to them about it. She thought hard for a second, building up courage. It would sound so weird to just turn around and say "Do either of you guys like me?". It would be so awkward, not to mention hard to get them to understand, but Barry had understood everything...When she was depressed over Chimchar, he took one look at her and knew her condition...They had shared the same emotions, the same thoughts...Lucas, however, would be hard to convince. Another problem: Would bringing it up only make it worse? One of them might not even know what the other was fighting about. But what if that wasn't the reason at all? What if Barry was just mad at Lucas for taunting him, and what if Lucas was just joking around. But, if that was the case, if she never asked, she would never know...That's right, she had to...

"Hey, you guys!" she said forcefully, spinning on her heel. "Do you fight because you like me?! Or is it something el--" She froze, staring into nothingness. "Um...guys? Where'd...Where'd you go?"

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

_Replay of the last three minutes..._

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

Lucas, letting his mind wander, followed the back of Renee's head, staring contently at it. He was positive he would lose. It would be humiliating to lose during the first round, but that was the least of his problems. If he lost, Renee would think he was lying last night. Of course he wasn't lying! First of all, he never lies to girls. Second of all, he never lies to _crying _girls, or anyone crying for that matter. Third, Renee was one of his best friends! Every word was straight from the heart! _Why _in the world did he let himself get so nervous, he would never know...It was embarrassing to stutter so much, but it would be just terrible if Renee didn't believe him...terrible to see her thinking she was a failure, to see her crying and know there was no way to comfort her. If he didn't speak up now, Renee would be crushed forever, and it would be his fault. If he could manage to apologize for letting her down, maybe, even if she didn't believe what he said last night, she still wouldn't think he was a total liar...Lucas opened his mouth to speak.

"GAK!"

Barry threw his hands over Lucas's mouth before he could speak. He made a tiny speaking sound, but, fortunately, Renee didn't seem to hear it and kept walking. Lucas was forced to stop in his tracks, Barry behind him, a determined look on his face, still making speech impossible. Lucas turned his head so his mouth was revealed.

"_What_--_are_--_you_--_doing?!_" he whispered, furious.

"I have to talk to you."

"_Why do you have to_--?!"

Barry grabbed the collar of his shirt and tugged him backwards. Lucas, though reluctantly, followed half out of curiosity and half because he needed to keep close to Barry in order to breath. Barry looked into the stands.

"We need to get somewhere completely deserted."

"Why?"

Barry didn't answer. Lucas thought he felt a heat coming from him. Now that he looked closer, Barry looked really troubled and angry about something. Lucas didn't ask, thinking it was better to keep quiet. Barry seemed to be traveling aimlessly. He paused when they reached the broom closet.

"This is perfect."

Lucas paused. "Wait, are you maybe trying to--"

"_NO_!" Barry said in a loud whisper. Cooling down a little, he led him inside, shut the door, and flicked on the light. He looked murderous, and yet quiet and keeping to himself.

"Barry...What's this about?" Lucas asked, a little frightened. He knew that, while he had the brains, Barry was much taller and had a better physical body. The winner in a fight would be obvious.

Barry gave a deep sigh. "All right, buddy, I'm going to take this as slow as I can because I don't want to repeat myself." He lowered his voice and gave him a chilling stare. "Stay away from Renee!"

**-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

**Holy smokes!! My first cliffhanger!! I'm growing up!! So...Who will win the battle? Who will win the **_**war**_**? Will the Squad ever find out where Disu is? Will Renee take another second of sanity before she breaks down? Yeah, what ever happened to Disu, anyway?**

**To close this cliffy up, this chapter is dedicated to all you perverted goons and pedophiles out there. Get a life, geezers! ~Furyfur**


	4. Cross My Heart

**Deoxys Hunter Squad**

**A/N: I'm not going to bore you with my constant rambling about my flaws, so here we go. The long-anticipated fight to the finish between Barry and Lucas! And it's only chapter four!!**

**Warning: I needed a last name for Barry, so I just decided to use Usui, which was the most common name I could think of. Also, I needed a name for Barry's new little "friend," so I used a Japanese name. I found it in Chibi Vampire and thought it sounded stupid. And finally...Barry's a ten-year-old idiot crybaby in this chapter.**

**Lucas- What about me?!**

**Me- You're not nearly as important enough.**

**Barry- Too true.**

**Renee- What about me? What's my last name?**

**Me- Your last name is Harmony.**

**Lucas- Urgh!! Why can't I--**

**Barry- No one cares about you!!**

* * *

"We need to get somewhere completely deserted."

"Why?"

Barry didn't answer. Lucas thought he felt a heat coming from him. Now that he looked closer, Barry looked really troubled and angry about something. Lucas didn't ask, thinking it was better to keep quiet. Barry seemed to be traveling aimlessly. He paused when they reached the broom closet.

"This is perfect."

Lucas paused. "Wait, are you maybe trying to--"

"_NO_!" Barry said in a loud whisper. Cooling down a little, he led him inside, shut the door, and flicked on the light. He looked murderous, and yet quiet and keeping to himself.

"Barry...What's this about?" Lucas asked, a little frightened. He knew that, while he had the brains, Barry was much taller and had a better physical body. The winner in a fight would be obvious.

Barry gave a deep sigh. "All right, buddy, I'm going to take this as slow as I can because I don't want to repeat myself." He lowered his voice and gave him a chilling stare. "Stay away from Renee!"

* * *

Lucas was taking a good look at Barry. Barry felt his anger settling down, but he was still eager to beat Lucas into his senses. Lucas looked frightened.

"N-No, you got the wrong idea, I-I'm not..."

"I saw the way she was staring at you!" Barry shouted, his voice just barely shaking. He felt his fist start to tremble and his eyes fill with tears. "I've known her since she was little!"

"B-But I haven't--"

"You're a terrible liar!!" he shouted. _I'm not going to cry. Not now. No way. I'm a man! I'm not a kid anymore! _"I want you to back off, she's not yours--!!"

Barry gave a shuddered sound and cut himself off. Lucas seemed to notice.

"Aw, that's cute," Lucas said in a mocking voice. "You're crying because your little girlfriend might not be into losers like you?"

Barry lunged forward and punched Lucas straight across the face. Lucas dropped to the ground with a thud and grabbed his cheek while trying to lift himself up. Barry wanted to hit him again, but he hesitated, trying not to let any of the tears in his eyes escape. He shut them tightly...

He felt Lucas's fist sink into his stomach. He gave a yelp of pain and stumbled, but caught himself before he fell. He was fighting with himself, determined not to let Lucas see him cry...

Lucas came back and tried to punch him in the stomach again, but Barry, blinded by anger, went straight for his bruised face again. He felt his nose crunch from underneath his hand. Lucas tripped tried to steady himself while clutching his nose.

"You wimpy _bastard_!!" Barry said through clenched teeth, hugging his stomach. _I'm not going to cry. Not going to cry. _"You're such a coward!! _Now _I know why you keep trying to insult me!!"

Lucas stood up straighter. "You were doing the same thing as me!! And Renee isn't yours either!!" he shouted. "You may've thought so, but you were just being a stupid little kid as usual!!"

"I am _not _a stupid little kid!! The only stupid kid here is you!!"

"I'm a year older than you!!"

"I've had it up to here with your--"

Barry, filled with anger, was about to yell a variety of words he didn't understand at Lucas, but the door flung open before he could.

"Who in the world is--?! Barry? Lucas?" Renee said, looking absolutely shocked. "Why are you guys all...Are you two okay?"

Barry felt twice as terrible all of a sudden twice as sad, half as angry, and twice as hurt as before. His stomach ached. _I'm not going to cry...Not going to--_

Barry let out a whimper and buried his face in his hand. Renee looked horrified.

"Um...Barry, are you...?"

"He started it!!" Lucas interrupted, pointing at Barry, who refused to look Renee in the eye. Renee walked over to Barry and grabbed his arm and put her other arm around his shoulder. He pretended to take no notice, but he felt the warmth on his arm. "He led me here and then he said...certain things...and then he tried to--"

"I don't care!" Renee barked. "Just tell me why you were fighting!"

Barry, who had his eyes wide open in his hands and was staring into darkness while weeping softly, heard Lucas spluttering something stupid. Renee grasped him tighter.

"Then tell me why he's crying!!"

"I beat him to a pulp, that's why!!"

"So, let me get this straight...You guys fought over something you don't think I deserve to know about, and you made a crappy excuse about Barry being the big, bad bully and you expect me to believe that you beat up a guy twice your size?!" Renee asked coldly. Barry moved his fingers so he could see the look on Lucas's face. He had gone a bright red and couldn't close his mouth.

"Well...see, I...you...we...he, um...th-that's not what I..."

"Unbelievable!" Renee shouted to herself more than Lucas. Lucas seemed to find his voice.

"Come on, he beat me up twice as badly as I beat him, and yet he's the one crying and you're on his side!!" he shouted.

"I'm not on anyone's side," Renee said, softer now. "Barry's in trouble, too." Barry closed his fingers over his face again and shut his eyes tight, but he felt Renee's eyes burning a hole through him. "Aren't you, Barry?"

"Yeah," Barry found himself muttering through his hands. He told himself that he was utterly defeated. It was the most least expected circumstances he could think of: Lucas VS Barry, fighting in the broom closet to decided who would date his best and closest friend who he would sacrifice everything not to lose, and the winner was the very same friend they were fighting over. Barry hiccupped and, embarrassed, removed his hands from his face and took a good look at Renee, who, he saw, was still wearing her purple dress. She was glaring at him, but at the same time, she was still gripping his shoulder.

"A-Are you up yet, Renee?" Lucas said, trying to get her attention away from Barry.

"Really soon," Renee mumbled, not paying much attention to Lucas and was still cradling Barry. He felt humiliated, but he was still in a better spot then Lucas. "I should probably get backstage..."

"I'll go with you," Lucas offered.

"No, you sit down. Anywhere but with me," Renee said bitterly. She looked to Barry, who was clutching his stomach and staring at his shoes, and her voice got dramatically softer. "Barry, you come with me, okay?"

Barry found it excruciatingly painful to nod at her without meeting her eyes, but he did it anyway. He felt pathetic for disappointing her. More pathetic than he could say he had felt so far in his life. He felt sick to his stomach, but he didn't know if it was because of Lucas's punch or Renee's disappointment. Lucas must've been feeling the same thing.

Barry saw out of the corner of his eye that Renee turned away and shut her eyes, looking angry and bitter. "Honestly, I never thought I would have to stoop so low as to separate you like five-year-olds, but you leave me with no choice..."

"Good...Good luck, Renee," Lucas said so lowly it sounded like a whisper. His head dropped as he said this. Renee didn't answer, but turned back to Barry. Lucas muttered something inaudible under his breath that sounded like another apology and left the broom closet sadly.

"You'll stay with me backstage, won't you?" she asked softly with sympathy in her voice. Barry found it hard to believe, but Renee had a faint smile on her face. It only made him feel worse.

"Yeah," he said again, his voice slightly cracked, treating her question like an order. Renee led him out of the closet, not changing her grip.

"Are you okay, Barry?" she asked.

"Yeah," he lied.

"Barry...Really, what was that fight about?"

"Nothing."

"Please tell me. I just want to know, that's all, I'm not going to embarrass you or anything."

"I never said you were."

"Come on, don't make this so hard on me!" Renee said desperately. _Hard on you? Hard on YOU?! I think this is pretty darn hard on us, thank you very much, so don't try to make it even harder!_

Barry burned with anger again, but he tried not to change his expression or tone. "It was nothing."

"It didn't look like nothing!"

"He just...made fun of me, and I let my anger get the best of me. It was my fault."

They arrived backstage. Renee wasn't up yet, but very soon.

"It wasn't your fault! Not from what I heard!" Renee argued.

"He wasn't lying. I _was _the one who dragged him there."

Without warning, Renee flung her arms around him and squeezed him. Barry felt himself blush.

"It wasn't your fault, Barry, please don't blame yourself, it only makes me feel bad. You don't want me to feel bad, do you?" she asked sweetly.

"N-No," he said nervously.

"So you promise you won't blame yourself anymore?"

"I promise."

"Cross your heart?"

Barry took his hand and held it in the air so he couldn't cross his fingers and traced and X on his chest with his other hand.

"And hope to die," he completed.

Renee released him and smiled.

"I'm almost up. Don't go anywhere near Lucas, okay?"

"I won't."

"Cross your heart."

"Renee!!"

"Sorry, sorry, it's just too adorable!" she giggled. She gave him a friendly slap on the shoulder and walked away.

Barry didn't even notice until now how fast his heart was beating. He was surprised everyone else in the room couldn't hear it. It was true: Renee _wasn't _his. But she still wasn't Lucas's, either. She was just a friend of his...but she was Lucas's friend, too. Both Lucas and Barry were on the same level in Renee's eyes. He reminded himself that he had known Renee for much longer, and if Lucas was on the same level as him now, he would be dating Renee soon enough. Barry wiped his eye absentmindedly. He wasn't crying anymore. Renee had made him feel better yet again.

"And now for another new coordinator, Renee Harmony from Twinleaf Town!" Marian shouted through the microphone.

Barry didn't feel like getting up.

* * *

Renee's heart pounded. She put her hand to her chest and felt it hammering against her body, threatening to tear out of her. She couldn't stop herself from talking out loud. It was embarrassing, even if no one else was back there with her.

"All right...This is it, Renee...The very first time your performing in front of such a big crowd...Heck, this is the first time you performed at all..."

Without thinking about it, she found herself throwing the red curtains aside and stepped onto the stage, smiling and waving. She felt the edge of her dress brushing lightly against her heels. _It's weird...I feel like a showgirl!_

She ran her finger lightly over the Pokeball's capsule, then squeezed it tightly. Koffing's heartbeat vibrated through her fingers. She felt alive and powerful, but she didn't know why. She had never felt this unaware of her own being before.

"Koffing, take the stage!" she shouted. Koffing's ball capsule exploded in a pink, gassy cloud. Koffing stood, levitated in the air, with the same facial expression he always had, but Renee could feel Koffing grow proud as he stood, facing the sea of people awaiting his first move. Renee stood motionless, eyes closed. She felt Koffing's thoughts combining with hers. She took a deep breath, then exhaled. Her brown eyes opened, glowing.

"Let's get things going with Smog!" she shouted with passion in her voice.

Koffing started to spin around and a deep, black gas poured from his craters, spinning with him. Koffing stopped spinning instantly, and the black gas shot in all directions and faded just enough to barely see Koffing through. Renee was overcome with a strange emotion. She could just barely see Koffing or the crowd through the smog. This was what she wanted. This was what it felt like to be half-blind, just like Koffing. The audience had this sight as well.

"Nice job!" Renee said. She felt like she was going to choke, but it was a good kind of feeling somehow. "Follow up with Glare!"

Koffing's eyes started to glow with an eerie blue light. The smog reflected a clear blue light as well.

"Now use Psychic!"

The deep blue light began to shift into strange patterns. It looked like the glare from the sun on an ocean floor.

"Now it's for our big finish!" Renee shouted. "First, use Reflect!"

A sparkling rectangular bar of green light formed in front of Koffing.

"Now use Explosion!"

The same ripples that has appeared on the Smog appeared on Koffing's body, except they were green. Renee bit her tongue. She knew how risky this move was, but if everything turned out as planned...

A huge explosion covered the entire stage. Koffing was in the very epicenter of the giant ball of fire that shook the entire building. When it died down, Koffing puffed out a giant wave of smoke that pushed the flying dust away from him. He was in plain sight now, and he was completely unharmed, but the Reflect was shattered. The audience stood up and clapped at their magic trick. Renee bowed low, returned Koffing to his Pokeball, and ran off the stage from the same way she had come.

* * *

Barry grabbed onto the wall, terrified. _Did...Did SHE do that?! Renee only has two Pokemon, and none of them are that strong!! That's impossible!!_

Barry released the wall and sighed with relief. It had finished. In fact, they were announcing the next person already. Barry looked around for the nearest person. He found a boy maybe a year or two older than him surrounded by girls. He had black hair, glasses and green eyes with a blackish tint to them. He was wearing black jeans and a black sweater--not exactly what he expected someone competing in a contest premiering on TV. He looked like he was busy, but Barry didn't see a problem in tapping him on the shoulder. He turned around; now that he got a good look at his eyes, they seemed lifeless and familiar.

"S'cuse me, who was the last person up? I wasn't paying attention," he admitted shyly yet casually. The boy squinted his eyes a little and frowned.

"Some amateur named...um...Harmony?"

"Amateur?" Barry said in disbelief. "You've got a lot of nerve saying something like that behind someone's back. That 'Harmony' happens to be my friend. And are you suggesting that she caused that earthquake?"

"Earthquake?" he asked.

"Of course," Barry said angrily. "Are you hard of hearing?"

"What's your name, kid?"

"Barry, and I'm not a kid! What's it to you, anyway?! I asked you a simple question, that's all...--"

"What's it to _him_?!" one of the girls asked angrily. Barry was blown away by how beautiful they all were. "What's it to _you_?! What's your problem, going around insulting the great Kikuchi Sakura like that?!"

Barry's eyes lit up. "Wait, your name is...Oh my gosh!" he laughed. "Okay, let me think about this...Your name is way too hard to remember, so I'll nickname you...Hmm...Kikuchi sounds like Kikusi, which sounds like jacuzzi, and that reminds me of hot tubs, because I think they're the same thing. Hot tubs sound like hot dogs, which are the gods of fast food, and every god needs a sidekick. Hot dogs' sidekicks are hamburgers, and those remind me of...of..._Superman_! I know what that reminds me of...icebergs, and those sunk the Titanic...um...I think so, at least. Well, I know for sure that it was a boat, and there are ducks near boats! That's it! I'm gonna call you Ducky! Wow! That makes you the sec--third person with that nickname!"

The girls that surrounded the boy started to giggle.

"Ducky!"

"Your name is Ducky!"

"That's so cute!"

Kikuchi looked from girl to girl, then back at Barry, who was smiling brightly. "Curse you,  
he muttered under his breath as the girls continued to squeal with delight.

* * *

Renee entered backstage, wiping a bead of sweat away from her forehead. People she didn't know started to congratulate her, and she bowed low and thanked them in return. She refused to take her hand off Koffing's Pokeball. She could still feel his heartbeat, even if the mental connection between them had faded away. She looked around for Barry in the crowd of people. She found herself looking for Lucas as well, and then reminded herself that she forced him to stay with the crowd until it was his turn. In the corner of her eye, she saw Barry waving for her, so she turned around and ran towards him as fast as she could in heels and hugged him. Barry excepted the hug with a sneaky laugh.

"Man, you should've seen what happened back here," he laughed. "I met this guy with this really stupid name, and..."

"...And you gave him and even stupider nickname. I know, I know."

Barry looked confused. "But how could you have..."

"I read your e-mails."

"What?!"

Renee laughed and hugged him again. "You're my best friend, you know that?" she asked, resting her head on his shoulder and staring off into the distance. "I could never had done it without you. Thank you."

Barry seemed a little overwhelmed. "Well, I-- I mean, I didn't think-- I thought that Lucas-- Wait a second!!"

Renee giggled. She put her hand to her chest and felt her heart beating.

"Barry, you think I'll make it to the next round?"

"Why not?" he said. He shook his head quickly, realizing what he just said. "I mean!! Um...Of course you will!"

Renee smiled. She turned around absentmindedly, almost expecting to see Lucas there.

"Barry...Do you know why I was so upset when I saw you two fighting?"

"Because I could've torn him to pieces, and for some reason you wouldn't like that?"

"Very funny," she said, though she couldn't help but smile. "But it was because we're a team and teams don't tear each other to pieces. Deoxys Hunter Squad, right?"

"You're taking that seriously?" Barry asked. "I figured you would've forgotten that by now."

"I've trusted you since I've met you, Barry, and that was practically when I was born. So if you told me aliens were attacking the planet, I would believe you. Therefore, no matter how stupid our name is, how many times I'm going to have to deal with you two, no matter how much of a clueless, insensitive jerk you are..."

"Get to the point."

"...I will always believe in you, Barry."

Barry blushed and scratched his head shyly. "Aaaall riiight...That's cool with me."

"Okay!" Renee said happily, separating herself with Barry. "The finalists are about to be announced. Let's go find Lucas."

Barry pouted. "Okay. But I get to kick him in the shin later, okay?"

"Definitely not! Don't joke about that!"

"I wasn't joking! I'm pissed off!!"

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for waiting so patiently!" Marian shouted. "We've got the finalists for round two ready for you!"

The faces of the finalists appeared on the screen. A few of the people backstage immediately jumped up and cheered for themselves.

"I'm in!" Barry shouted.

"Me too!" Renee said with delight.

"I'm not," Lucas said sheepishly, scratching his hair.

"That's okay, you're only useful when you cheer for us, anyway!" Barry said, smiling. He was so happy and bubbly that it didn't even sound like an insult. Renee stared at the screen, mesmerized and a little embarrassed. Her face was up on a huge screen in a stadium filled with people. She felt a little reassured that more people were up there with her, but still. It was nerve wracking.

Barry was so close to the TV backstage, that no one else could see it. He seemed to be lost in his own mind.

"Awesome! Awesome! Vanilla made it! Vanilla made it!"

"Hey, you, down in front!"

"Buzz off, we can't see!!"

"So, Renee," Lucas said. "You're using Chimchar in the next round, right? Good luck. But...Next time, battle with Koffing, okay?"

Renee laughed. "Sure, I will."

Lucas frowned. "Something was strange about you performance, though. Except for spinning, Koffing didn't move at all."

"Because, well," Renee started, embarrassed. "I didn't think that Koffing would do well moving around because he can't see so well."

"Right, Captain Obvious," Barry said slyly, nudging Lucas in the side with his shoulder. "Even I could figure that out."

"Wow. Even you," Lucas said with mock amazement. "I feel really stupid now that I know that a brainless animal could figure something so obvious out. Excuse me for even commenting in the first place."

"Oh, you think you're so funny!"

Renee sighed, turned around, and walked away. She didn't know where she was going, but sooner or later they would realize she was gone. She kept her eyes glued on the screen the whole time. In a minute or two, they would shuffle it randomly to see who was challenging who. She jumped a little when she heard Marian start to yell again:

"Now that you've met our finalists, let's give the board a random shuffle to determine who will battle who! Heeeeere we go!"

The pictures of the finalists turned over and started to dance around the screen. Renee turned around and let Chimchar out of his Pokeball.

"This is it, huh?" she asked him. "We're going to figure out who you're gonna battle. Let's give our best!"

"Char!" Chimchar agreed happily.

"And there you have it!" Marian shouted. "Our match-ups for the next round!"

Renee turned around and immediately saw her own face. It was connected with a blue line to a boy's face. He seemed vaguely familiar.

"I've seen him before," Renee said out loud. "What do you think, Chimchar?"

Chimchar just shrugged his shoulders, then jumped from one foot to another and started to punch the air.

"I get what you're saying," she said happily, satisfied with his enthusiasm. "'It doesn't matter who he is, we can take him!!' Right?"

Chimchar nodded. "Char!"

"Talking with your Pokemon, I see?" a snake-like voice said from behind her said. Renee, starting to feel harassed, turned around and saw the familiar man that she was battling. He had glasses, jet black hair, and blank eyes with no life. They were a dark, greenish-black, almost artificial-looking.

"D..." Renee started.

The boy smiled. "I'm sorry? I didn't quite catch that."

"Di...Disu."

He wouldn't stop smiling now.

"I'm afraid you're talking nonsense, young lady. Are you surprised to meet your challenger? How rude to treat me like a stranger." He kneeled down, picked up Renee's hand, and kissed it. "After all, opponents should respect each other."

"A-Are you..." she said in disbelief. She shook her head. "N-No, never mind. You looked like someone I knew, that was all."

"I recognize you," the boy said. Renee was only half-listening. Two things distracted her: How this man looked remarkably like their friend back at Twinleaf Town, and how incredibly handsome he was. "You're that girl on the news. One of your friends was kidnapped, correct? And your mother nearly died?"

Renee jolted. "That was on the news?!" she said on reflex. She bit her tongue, calmed herself down, and started over, shuffling her feet nervously. "I mean...I didn't tell anyone besides my friends, so I didn't think it would get around so quickly..."

The boy smiled. "I'm Kikuchi Sakura." He bowed his head slightly. "And you must be the newcomer who blew the judges away despite it being your first time. Am I correct, My Lady? I look forward to our match." He stood up straight and looked at the scoreboard. "We're the third pair up, it seems. Right after your friend."

Renee, a little confused, looked up at the scoreboard. "Oh! W-We're after Barry..."

Kikuchi gave a slight nod. "How do you know him, exactly?"

"W-We both grew up in Twinleaf Town," Renee said nervously. "But that's about it."

"So you don't know him well?"

"Not that much," Renee lied.

Kikuchi's smile returned. "In that case, I await our battle, My Lady." He bowed his head again and walked away, hands behind his back. Renee felt her heart pounding, and at the same time, she felt something horrible coming on. She shook her head and speed-walked back to Barry and Lucas.

"Barry!" she said. "Did that guy know you? Kikuchi Sakura?"

"Oh, you mean Ducky," Barry said with a straight face. "Just met him. He really seems to hate you, ya'know?"

"...What?" Renee asked. "But he just...What?"

Barry nodded. "He was talking crap about you while you were up. Called you an amateur and stuff."

Lucas didn't seem to follow at all. "Wait...What?"

"Didn't he look familiar to you?" Renee asked Barry. "At all?"

"He looked a little familiar, but there are a lot of people who have black hair and glasses, so I...dunno. You?"

"Didn't he look like...Disu?"

Lucas and Barry's eyes widened.

"What?" Lucas said. "Disu was kidnapped, and he's deaf, so I doubt he made his way here on his own."

"Right," Barry decided. "By the way, who's Disu again?"

"Besides," Lucas continued. "We already know Disu's name...Or his first name at least. And this guy's got a totally different name."

"Oh!" Barry said. "I remember now! He was the alien who nearly killed me!"

Lucas and Renee just stared at him.

"That's a...bit of a cold way to put it," Renee said awkwardly.

"Ducky can't be Disu," Barry said. "But they are a lot alike. They both have stupid nicknames! And Disu goes into animal mode once he hears his name, right?"

"...Right..."

"...Kinda..."

"Oh!" Renee said. "I said 'Disu' when Kikuchi came up to me, and he asked me if I was talking nonsense."

"We should question him anyway," Lucas decided, thinking hard. "Where'd he go?"

"Off flirting with his ten girlfriends?" Barry offered.

"Why are there so many things that guys don't tell me?!" Renee asked angrily.

* * *

"Now it's time for our next heated battle-- Barry Usui versus Amanda Brown!"

Renee and Lucas weren't exactly paying much attention--they were searching backstage for Kikuchi.

"He's up next..." Renee had offered earlier. "...so he's got to be backstage! It's simple, right?"

Lucas leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, annoyed. "Well, that little strategy backfired a little bit."

Renee was sitting on the floor, kneeling because she was wearing a dress. Her eyes were still searching for him, but she had given up on the thought of ever finding him. How come the cuter guys were, the more prone they were to disappearing into thin air?

"That's okay," she said, looking up at him. "I'm battling him next, so I'll catch him after the battle. Foolproof, right?"

"Of course. What else could go wrong?" Lucas said sarcastically.

Renee frowned. "You've been in a bad mood since Barry lived up to his reputation as a five-year-old."

Lucas chuckled, and Renee smiled to herself. _That was easier than I'd thought_.

"Hey...Lucas, there's been something I've been meaning to ask you," Renee said. Lucas shrugged his shoulders and sat down next to her. "Do you...um...believe what Barry said? About his dream, I mean?"

"The Deoxy-whatever?" Lucas asked. "No, of course not. Why?"

"Well...I do. I, um, I trust what Barry says, and I stand by my friends."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "You _do _realize that he's talking about aliens taking over the world, right?"

"It's a lot more complicated than that!"

"There couldn't be anything more complicated!!"

"Barry is..." Renee started, but then abandoned her sentence. "We're all friends here, okay? We're a team. And that means _all _of us."

"But you can't seriously mean that you believe all of that Deo-something stuff, right?"

"I do."

Lucas sighed. "Well, if you believe him, I guess I may as well too..."

Renee looked surprised. "Really? That was fast."

Lucas leaned forward a little. "Well, we all know that Barry is almost always wrong, but he _does _have his half-right moments..."

Renee leaned forward as well. "Yeah, I suppose he is almost always wrong..."

"That's just the way he is, I guess..."

"That's why we have you, so we can balance brains with...with..."

An insane idea entered Renee's head. _Oh, god!! Lucas isn't going to k...kiss me? N-No way!!_

"Well, of course, teams have to have balance..." Lucas continued.

"Yeah...I-I suppose so..."

"AND THE WINNER IS BARRY USUI!!!" Marian shouted, making Lucas and Renee jump to their feet in surprise. "He's moving onto the next round!!"

Renee blushed._ I was so close, too! _"So, um...It looks like I'm up."

Lucas blushed, too. "Yup. Good luck. But, he, um...I saw his performance. Kikuchi is really good. Good...Good luck."

Renee smiled and nodded. She hesitated for a second, then walked off towards backstage. She ran into a familiar blonde girl standing close to the curtain, looking impatient. Immediately, she put up every mental boundary she could.

"Oh, hi, Renee," Vanilla said smugly. "Is it just me, or are you a dirty little liar?"

"Umm..." Renee stammered. "It's my turn, so I can't talk. See you!"

Vanilla frowned. "Aw, you don't want to talk to me, Renee?" She took a step forward. "You don't know me, Renee. I take lying very seriously. I'll make Lucas's life miserable if I have to, and it'll all be thanks to you."

_I almost forgot...I told Vanilla that Lucas was a superstar from the Fiore region...Gosh, I'm in trouble now..._

"I really can't talk," Renee said nervously, backing up a step.

And, of course, Vanilla took a step forward. "I don't think you understand. Obviously, he's very important to you..."

"He isn't-- No, he's not-- And neither is Barry!" Renee spurted, suddenly making it obvious she was being defensive. "I don't-- I don't _have _someone like that, okay?! Maybe you do, but that doesn't mean that I do...Okay?"

Vanilla raised an eyebrow. "Suit yourself." She said, shrugging her shoulders. "But I really could care less how hopeless your love life is. I think you're missing the whole point. Lucas is just as useless as you are, so thanks for getting my hopes up for nothing. You're welcome."

Not wanting to meet anyone's eyes, Renee hurried to the back of the stage. _Great, just one more thing to throw me off!!_

"And now for our next battle, Renee Harmony versus national champ Kikuchi Sakura!"

* * *

Renee's fist trembled. Chimchar was staring down Kikuchi's Aipom with determined blue eyes. Kikuchi stood with arms folded comfortably, grinning. Renee didn't know if she should start or wait for the boy to start. But she didn't have to wait for long.

"Aipom, use Swift!"

Renee tried to react quickly, but Chimchar was hit with a flurry of bright yellow stars almost instantly. _Shoot, he's fast!!_

"Now use Sand Attack!"

Before Chimchar could stand steady on his feet, a jet of fast-moving dirt hit him right in the eyes, ruining his vision. Renee gulped, but she knew this would be able to pull through. After all, Koffing was half-blind, so Chimchar could obviously stand through this.

"Chimchar, use Ember--"

"Counter with Brick Break, Aipom!"

Chimchar, whose eyes were closed tightly, tried unsuccessfully to throw Ember at Aipom, but it moved too quickly and pounded him with its tail in the back.

"No way!!" Renee shouted, frustrated. "Get moving, Chimchar! Leer!"

Chimchar opened his eyes wide and they began to glow brightly. The dirt blocking his vision burned up and fell away. Aipom seemed oddly mesmerized by Chimchar's eyes. Renee used this opportunity to attack.

"Ember, Chimchar!"

A blast of red-hot embers hit Aipom and he flew backwards, landing on his back and moaning in pain.

_That's it!!_

"Chimchar, I've found his weakness! He makes up for a lack of defense with his speed! All we need to do is stop him!"

Chimchar nodded his head and awaited his next order. Renee couldn't find anything to do.

"I know we haven't practiced this, but...Flame Wheel!"

Chimchar drew a deep breath and jumped into the air, spouting fire, then flung himself at Aipom. Aipom evaded it easily, but was still caught off-guard. He ran as fast as he could in a circle, chattering in fear. Chimchar pulled himself to lean to one side so he could follow. Both Kikuchi and Renee were shouting useless orders in effort to give themselves the upper hand, but both of the Pokemon wouldn't break the circle. Renee growled to herself, and then heard Kikuchi laugh, and the world seemed to freeze. She could hear her heartbeat in her ears.

He had one hand on the back of his head and the other on his side. It was a calm laugh, and sent chills up Renee's spine.

"You don't get it," he chuckled to himself, his laugh getting louder slightly as he spoke. "Ahaha...Renee, you just don't get it."

"D-Don't...Don't get what?" she said more to herself. She felt completely immobilized. Her voice had been almost silenced--she could barely whisper.

"Anything!" Kikuchi said, tossing his hands in the air coolly. "You don't get anything, do you? You don't get who I am! You're battling someone very important!"

Renee didn't just _feel _immobilized, she _was _immobilized! She couldn't move a muscle in her body, no matter how hard she tried!

"I…I _don't know _who you are…" Renee choked, trying to force out the words. "We've never met! If…If you're so i-important…Then who are you?"

Kikuchi grinned. His cold, sharp eyes were scaring Renee. She trembled where she stood, and wanted to call out for help, but she couldn't. No one would answer her. Time was frozen, and no other human was there to help her escape from this boy. She was alone.

"Everyone!" Kikuchi said. "I am everyone! Who else? You're dumber than I thought. Now, be a good girl and go to sleep for me."

"Ch…" she muttered. It was no use. No one was there. "Chimchar…"

* * *

"Renee?" someone far away called. "Renee, wake up!"

"Come on, you useless girl, wake up!"

Renee wanted to open her eyes but couldn't.

"Renee? Renee, please wake up…"

"Here, relax, let me do it…"

Renee felt a sudden blunt object to the back of her head. Instantly, she moaned in pain and got up. And what did she find, of course? Barry massaging his fist after punching a sleeping girl in the back of the head, of course. He had a wide grin on his face. Renee couldn't imagine why.

"Wh-Where…" she started, but she was interrupted by the voice that had called to her in her sleep.

"Renee!" Lucas said happily. "I thought you'd never wake up! Barry, you _idiot_…"

"Well, what else could I have done?" Barry said, still grinning. "We couldn't just leave her like that." He laughed as if the whole thing were a joke. "Renee, you should have seen him, he couldn't sit still."

Renee lay her head back down on the ground. It was dirt with a few weeds. A comfortable cool breeze curled itself around Renee, making her almost fall back into a deep sleep…And then it hit her.

"Guys…I'm going to ask you a question and I want an honest answer so I won't have to punch every fiber in your body out through your nose, okay?"

"Yeah?"

Renee didn't even bother to lift her head off the ground. Her face was bright red and her arms were wrapped around her chest.

"…Where are my clothes?"

"Yeah, we were wondering that too…" Barry went on.

"So, we did a little searching around…" Lucas continued, almost as red as Renee and staring off into the opposite direction.

"…And this is what we found," Barry said, holding up one of Renee's purple shoes.

"Perfect," Renee muttered. "This solves everything." She snatched the shoe away from Barry, feeling uncomfortable beyond words in nothing but a purple bra and underwear in the middle of nowhere with two boys. Perfect. Just perfect.

"Look on the bright side!" Barry offered. "You've still got us."

"…Now I feel complete…"

Lucas, who couldn't gather the courage to turn his head around, took his bright red backpack off his shoulder and handed it to Renee. "Here. I have extra clothes in there that you can use. Not the best, but it's better than…Well, you get the idea."

Renee excepted the backpack thankfully and dug around for his clothes, not daring to meet Barry's eyes, who was smiling as innocently as he could. It seemed weird to rummage through Lucas's stuff, but he had all sorts of interesting stuff that Renee never saw him pick up: shells, rocks, and all sorts of different kinds of Pokeballs. She found a white tee-shirt and shorts and quickly pulled them on, feeling relieved.

"What…What happened?" Renee asked. "Where are we?"

"Don't ask me," Barry said. "I've got no clue."

"Me neither," Lucas said, deciding it was safe to turn around. "…But I do have a theory."

"Leave it to the smart guy," Barry said. "Hey, Renee, will you try on my clothes next?!"

"We could possibly be…" Lucas started. "…in…"

"Yes?" Renee asked, getting annoyed. "In where?"

"Well, it's only a story, but I've heard of some sort of dimension that mirrors our own," he said thoughtfully. "Judging from the gravity levels here, I can assume we aren't in our own dimension."

"'Mirrors our own,'" Renee repeated. "You mean some kind of other half to our world?"

"Exactly," Lucas said. "We could be in the Reverse World…But if we are, we've got a big problem on our hands…"

"Big problem?" Barry asked. "What kind of problem?"

"Well," Lucas said. "I've heard that the legendary Pokemon of the Reverse World--Giratina--resides here."

"You can't be serious!!" Renee shouted on reflex. "I'm not so sure, but aren't legendary Pokemon supposed to be…you know…strong?"

Lucas couldn't help but laugh. "It's people like you, Renee, that make me wonder why the English language was invented. Yes, they're 'strong,' as you put it." He became serious again. "As a matter of fact, I don't think all of our power combined can stop it. Well, of course not! We're only new trainers, after all!"

"But wait," Barry said. "How could a Pokemon survive here? I mean, even if it's a copy of our world, it looks so barren…"

Lucas was about to answer that question when an eerie giggle filled the air.

"Good question," a familiar voice said. "But it's got a pretty obvious answer, doesn't it?"

Renee whirled around. She couldn't believe her eyes.

* * *

**It's the mighty cliffhanger of doom!!! Yeah, so Renee's kind of a slut…I suppose that's just what her character was meant to be…Three guesses who that person was. And the first two don't count. See you next time! And sorry for the cheesy opening. I wanted to make Barry look as immature as possible. ~Furyfur**


	5. Sakura, Sakura

**Deoxys Hunter Squad**

**A/N: =sighs= I love this story. I can't stop writing it. Okay, okay, welcome to chapter five! Did everyone guess who the mystery person was? No? Oh, you guys are idiots…Get ready for a super-dramatic opening that no one expected, not even you, Paul!**

**Paul- ?**

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

"D…" Renee said in a voice so low it was almost a whisper. "…Disu?"

Disu smiled and made a small jerky waving motion with his hands. "Renee." He made a tiny twitching smile. "Why are you wearing Lucas's clothes?"

Without thinking, Renee burst into tears and lunged forward, trapping Disu in her arms. "You idiot! We were worried sick! What in the name of all that is good happened to you? You _big, stupid, idiot_!"

Renee started to pound her fists as hard as she could upon Disu's back, without freeing him. Disu had a stupid-looking smile on his face. Barry and Lucas stood their ground, dumbfounded. Nobody moved as Renee continued to sob, until Barry broke the silence.

"…I don't get it. Why is Renee so upset?"

"Because, you idiot," Lucas retorted, covering his mouth with his hand so Disu could not "overhear." "She hasn't seen him since he was abducted by whatever that was."

"So?"

"So he's our friend. Plus Renee's afraid of Pokemon, so she must have been scared."

"It wasn't a Pokemon," Barry muttered, making no move to hide his lips. "It was an alien."

"You're insane."

"But I saw-"

"Shut up, Barry," Lucas growled warningly, suddenly seeming fierce. "You're insane so shut up."

Barry didn't say anything after that. No one did, mostly because they had no experience with crying girls. What do you say to them? Do you try and make them feel better somehow? It was a mystery to them. Well, most of them.

"I'm back now," Disu muttered, still grinning and patting Renee lightly on the back. "So this is over."

Renee leaned back, still trying to dig the tips of her fingers into Disu's shoulders. "Of _course _it is! That's why I'm so happy! But really, Disu, do you have any idea how worried we were? I thought you died! I told everyone I know, if they find you then they have to…"

Before Barry and Lucas could even take in what Disu had said to instantaneously stop her crying, Renee had gone on a long rant about how dreadfully worried they all were-well, how worried _she was-_and the measures she had gone to tell warn absolutely everyone her friend had been possibly kidnapped. She went from crying to ranting and from ranting to complaining about how much she had missed him and from complaining to the question they'd all wanted to ask from the beginning: The Q&A session.

"What _happened _to you, anyway?" Renee demanded.

"Can you confirm where we are?" Lucas asked.

"Are you still stalking Renee?" Barry wondered, more to himself.

"Tell me, Disu," Renee begged. "Explain this to us. Please!"

"No!" Disu said at once. To everyone's surprise, he turned around and started to run. "You'll have to catch me first, Renee!"

"Wh-?" Lucas started. Before he could even question it, Renee let out a long, childish laugh and chased after him. Lucas turned to Barry, hoping for at least a hint of how he should respond to this, but Barry seemed just as blank and expressionless as he did.

That was it. They lost Renee to the Dark Side.

After agreeing on how confused they were, they decided it wouldn't be any use to just stand there, so they chased after them as well, but with a serious attitude.

Despite the laughing floating from the direction they were running, the atmosphere was nerve-wracking. Renee was chasing him, just like it were another day on the playground, but in truth, she had no idea where he was going. It was ominous, however, that Disu seemed to make split-second turns around Jubilife buildings in no particular order, but he seemed to be going somewhere. But Renee had no idea where. Yet, like a dog following her master, she persisted in running after him, telling herself that she was just imagining it. Disu was now chanting softly, "_My friend, my friend, come to me~…_", and Renee pushed away all thoughts of a trap. He was their friend! She felt attracted to him, pulled towards him, and she almost left this world, floating in another one, chasing towards his hypnotic voice, when suddenly-

Lucas lost sight of them many times. He was tired-exhausted-but he pushed himself forward, telling himself that it was Renee's safety that was on the line here. He was so determined that, looking behind him, he saw Barry had also been lost behind him in the maze of buildings. There was no one to ask for directions because-well, because they were in the Reverse World. Turning a sharp random corner as Disu had, he screeched to a stop before he almost slammed right into Renee. She was staring at a building, looking bewildered and hypnotized.

"What's wrong?" he asked instantly with urgency in his voice. No answer. "Where did Disu go?" he said, trying for a question that seemed more appealing to her. And, to his complete and utter disappointment, Renee responded by lifting her arm up slowly and pointing to the building she was staring at. Lucas inspected it without getting close, for fear it might be cursed or something.

"He's in there?" he asked her quietly, trying to calm her down. He felt tempted to try and touch her to calm her down, but she was releasing an evil aura and he didn't want to come any nearer. It was a shame, because the by the look on her face, she was just begging for comfort.

"He's…it…" she spluttered, finding her voice. Lucas got over his fear immediately and placed a hand on her shoulder. She was shaking-no, not shaking, trembling as if she were having a seizure-and she didn't get any calmer. "He is…Disu is…the..the…he…the building moved!" she forced out at last. The trembling increased, and Lucas tightened his grip.

"What happened?"

But, no, Renee had lost her voice again and didn't seem in any condition to answer. Lucas tried in vain to find something that looked suspicious or off about the building, but it seemed perfectly normal. Just like all the other ones. He tried to look harder, knowing there must be something he was missing, but it didn't come to him…

"Hey, look!" Barry's voice from behind him said with a tired laugh. "That building's upside down! How'd _that _happen, huh, guys?"

Barry broke off into more laughter while coughing away the bad air in his lungs. Apparently the long run had taken more of a toll on him, considering he didn't care what was going on. Lucas, however, had lost his words just as Renee had. Yes, the building was indeed upside down. Lucas's dialogue didn't have anything else to add. There was no scientific word or a way to make it sound smarter. It was plainly upside down.

"Let's climb it," Renee said determinedly. "To the door or a window. Disu's up there."

She started forward before her last sentence even ended, but Lucas grabbed hold of her.

"Whoa there!" he said, pushing himself in front of her. "You can't just climb up a building and enter through a window! We'll wait for him." No answer. "Renee, we'll wait for him!" he repeated, shouting as he lost his patience.

"Disu's up there," Renee repeated herself.

"Renee," Lucas said desperately. "Please try and listen to reason. If he's hurt, then we can-"

"Disu's. Up. There," Renee repeated, much louder this time and with full emphasis on every word.

For once in a lifetime, Barry had no comment. His reaction to this was letting out a low moan in painful agony and burying his head in his hand, shaking his head and asking himself repeatedly where everything went wrong.

Lucas wouldn't argue with her any more. He released her, feeling sick to his stomach, and she ran towards the building. She searched for something sticking out of the building she could latch into, but found none.

"Chimchar!"

A red light appeared as the tiny red monkey with the flaming tail hopped out of its Pokeball and greeted its trainer. Renee answered with no more than a stony glance.

"Climb up to the first window you can reach and burn the stone so I can climb up."

Chimchar, who still had no clue as to what was going on, silently hopped up to what looked like the easiest window to reach and released a fiery breath that leapt down the ground. The stone turned a smoky black and was forced out of its place by about an inch. It looked unreliable, yet with the easiest of grace, Renee latched herself onto the stone and hoisted herself up, beginning her descent toward the window.

"If she falls and dies…" Barry whispered, totally serious. "…it's your fault."

Without thinking, Lucas nodded. He was completely prepared to take full responsibility for anything that happened to Renee. _After all, _his thoughts whispered, torturing him to the point of insanity, _you were the one who let her go._

But no, Renee was far too serious to let herself release her grip on the stone. She lost her footing twice, both Lucas and Barry recoiling in fear, but she made her way up to the window as quickly as she could. She looked for something to open the window, but the only opening was inside, so she wrapped the hem of her shirt around her fist and punched the glass. It shattered around her, creating the illusion of falling stars that sliced open her skin. But she didn't even flinch; she removed the excess glass from the window pane and hopped through, disappearing. And that was the last Lucas and Barry saw of her.

Renee was, to say the least, not exactly used to having to navigate her way through furniture that had been flipped upside down and broken harshly against the ceiling. There was also the small problem of ceiling fans-there was one in every room-that had been reduced to piles of shattered glass and large wooden blades. One still hadn't given up the fight against gravity and was still emitting horribly painful yellow sparks that chased up Renee's leg. But she still persisted in finding her lost friend.

When she found him, however, he had fallen victim to the safety hazards in the flipped building. He was lying on the floor-erm, ceiling-clutching a foot that had been nearly cut in half by another ceiling fan that was, get this, still spinning in place. It was bleeding rapidly and Disu was panicking.

Renee kneeled down next to him and placed a hand on his shoulder, brainstorming for a way out of the situation. She finally ran out of ideas and decided to rip of a large piece of cloth from Lucas's shirt and use it to stop the bleeding. The fact that she was doing anything seemed to be good enough for the boy, because he was now humming a painfully familiar tune to himself. Renee couldn't possibly ignore it, mostly because it was ringing a giant bronze bell in her head, but she couldn't place what it was, until she heard Disu mumble to himself, almost mystically:

"_Sakura~, Sakura~…_"

"'Sakura, Sakura!'" Renee said at last. "Boy, does that song hold some memories! I used to- Wait, how do you know that song? I mean, you're-Y'know-deaf."

"I saw someone singing it," Disu said conversationally. "I read his lips, and you can tell the tone someone is speaking in by the way their head moves."

"Really? That's so…magic," Renee blurted, getting emotional by it all. All at once, her attention drifted away from his wound and she wrapped her hands around her knees and stared out the window, grinning. She opened her mouth and began to sing quietly:

_"Sakura~, Sakura~  
__no-yama mo sato mo_

_mi-watasu kagiri_

_kasumi ka kumo ka_

_asahi ni niou_

_Sakura~, Sakura~_

_hana-zakari_

_Sakura~, Sakura~_

_yayoi no sora wa_

_mi-watasu kagiri_

_kasumi ka kumo ka_

_nioi zo izuru_

_iza ya iza ya_

_mi ni yukan"_

Disu smiled. But that's all he did was smile.

"My mother used to sing it to me every night before I went to bed," Renee muttered dreamily, smiling to herself as if she had just solved a difficult riddle.

"You miss her, don't you?" Disu whispered, his eyes trembling.

Renee nodded slowly. Then, however, a light went off in her head.

"Wait, I never told you what happened to my mother."

Disu bit his lip, as if hoping to retreat his comment back into his mouth. Renee stood up, still missing the hem of her shirt, looking slightly pirate-like. She was about to question him further when Lucas and Barry burst in.

"What the hell are you doing up here?" Lucas demanded. "I thought you were going to find him and get out!"

"He's hurt though!" Renee shot back. She shook her head. "Neither of you understand anything!"

Renee turned and stalked out of the room, leaving Lucas and Barry to deal with Disu.

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad**

Renee had set up camp by herself by the time they were back. Lucas almost told her that they could just sleep in a building, but he didn't dare feed the fire any more. Besides, no one wanted to risk going in another building for fear it might flip itself over.

Disu had done something that simply threw Lucas and Barry even more off than they already were. He said that, since her shirt was ripped now, he had extra clothes she can wear. By "extra clothes," he had meant a purple kimono with white flowers and a green waistline. Renee excepted it, figuring it would be a lot warmer than a ripped t-shirt in the middle of the night. Barry looked broken into pieces, and Lucas didn't dare try and snap him out of it. In fact, he felt there wasn't anyone he could relate to anymore. So, he decided that from now on he'd be alone. Barry seemed to be getting the same idea, so they decided they'd leave back for Twinleaf Town together. This plan backfired a bit when Barry's strong will gave up on him and he hit the ground as soon as he stood up.

"You choose now to get sick?" Lucas muttered.

"Shutyertrap…" Barry hissed, trying in vain to get off the ground. He broke into a sweat and stopped trying when he couldn't catch his breath, rolling over onto his side and coughed up blood into his hand. Lucas looked at him and saw a fallen soldier. He had tried to resist Disu, he had tried to win Renee over, he had tried so hard in everything…but now it was too much for the poor guy.

"We'll leave when you're well again," Lucas said quietly, trying as hard as he could to sound reassuring.

"Leave where?" Renee asked desperately. "You're going to give up now? Not on my watch!"

"Give up for what?" Lucas shouted before he could stop himself. Renee flinched at his words. "What are we giving up for, Renee, what is there to give up? We're in the Reverse World with no way back! We've all become absolutely mental! Barry can't even stand up! We don't have a goal, Renee, we're not fighting for anything, so just how are we giving up?"

Renee started to cry. "We're gonna find Deoxys!" she sobbed. "There's our goal! So there! You can't give up!" She broke off into more crying, and Disu just looked confused. He took a deep breath, and the sound of the outside world froze:

_"Sakura~, Sakura~  
__no-yama mo sato mo_

_mi-watasu kagiri_

_kasumi ka kumo ka_

_asahi ni niou_

_Sakura~, Sakura~_

_hana-zakari_

_Sakura~, Sakura~_

_yayoi no sora wa_

_mi-watasu kagiri_

_kasumi ka kumo ka_

_nioi zo izuru_

_iza ya iza ya_

_mi ni yukan"_

__**Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

**A/N: I'm ending this chapter early because I want the next chapter to start at a certain spot, so sorry about the shortness of it all. I have one question for anyone who still reviews my stories: Does anybody at all support DisuXRenee? Anyone? I know you don't, because I find it hard to believe, but come on…Gah! I want to explain to you that it's imperative to the plot, but I can't prove it without spoiling anything! So, anyway, if anyone supports this at all, please tell me in your review of the ridiculously short chapter. In fact, tell me what you support! ~Furyfur **


	6. Barry

**Deoxys Hunter Squad**

**A/N: Okay, I wanted this chapter to start off at this particular spot, that's why the last one was so short. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! All two of you! XD I feel so pathetic that it's almost funny.**

**Barry- Hey! I just realized that this chapter completely revolves around me!**

**That's right, which explains the title of the chapter, and also explains why there are so many unneeded comments in parenthesis! This chapter is going to be so fun to write because it's full of crazy flashbacks, creepy imagery, and not to mention totally obvious foreshadowing! Okay, so I'll tell you what I'm doing here: I'm making three chapters centered around character development for everyone except Renee, starting with my favorite blonde! Bored yet? No? You will be. So, without further ado, an inside look at Barry's mind. Begin elevator music!**

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

Barry didn't know it was possible to get so sick. He was so exhausted that he couldn't find the energy to fall asleep. It was so dark, he couldn't see an inch in front of his face, which he had to admit, freaked him out a bit, especially when the only thing separating him and Disu was Renee's sleeping body, wrapped up in a sleeping bag and her kimono.

That stupid, stupid, stupid Disu.

The blazing hatred grew in his stomach, forcing him to grind his teeth to release stress. The air was freezing; so much so that Barry's chest felt like a heap of raw meat. Heavy and damp. He couldn't sit up if he tried, and he did try, over and over again until he thought his spine would snap. He couldn't stop thinking about Renee. But it wasn't the good kind of thinking. It was the kind of thinking most children would get from their older siblings, who heard from their parents while they were drinking, and then both the child and the sibling would get in big trouble for thinking. He was thinking of all sorts of words he could say to her once she woke up. He promised himself that, even if he couldn't move, he would try as hard as he could to put her in a small, cramped little hole in hell and possibly move her to tears if he tried really hard.

He absolutely hated her now. That was the dead-weighted feeling in his chest, right? Like a giant metal spine had just pierced right through his gut and stuck a hundred-ton weight in his stomach. That was hatred, right? But he's hated before, and he's never remembered it being this painful.

He tried to close his eyes, but fear kept him alert. He's been feeling something weird since Disu showed up: A strong passionate wish to return to his childhood. Not just a wish, an obsession. As if the opportunity to travel back in time were right there in front of him, and he could touch it and hold it in his hands, but couldn't use. He suddenly felt so nogalistic it almost made him sicker. Back to the first day he met Renee, yeah, that's the day he wanted to go back to. It was horrifying, life-changing-no, it wasn't horrifying because Barry hadn't even realized what had happened until later. It was like living in a scene but not knowing what had happened. It took place at Lake Verity, the same place they had met Lucas...

_Little four-year-old Barry eyed the open water in a stony silence. He hadn't wanted to go on the class field trip, and he almost escaped it by hiding the flyer from his parents, but they had found it the day before the turn-in day and told him, "It will be fun! You can make some new friends!"_

_Barry, however, had no intention of making friends with kindergarteners. Okay, they were the same age as he was, but…Well, the only reason he had stopped disagreeing to go was because his father had told him to. Barry had a strong respect for his father, because he always told him stories about great things he did at the Battle Pyramid and such. Barry wanted to be like his father: the best Pokemon trainer in the world. And, yeah, he had to wait till he was ten just like everyone else, but…_

_They were everywhere, these kids that Barry didn't know, running into the water and jumping off a tire swing that was held in place by a branch. They looked like they were having fun, but Barry didn't want to join them for fear he'd end up by himself. He wasn't the greatest at making friends, and the fact that kinder had barely started didn't exactly help either. "You can make some new friends," they said…"It will be fun," they said…_

_Though there were adults and teachers swarming the place, making sure their precious students were safe (Barry found them increasingly annoying with their, "Go and have fun, Barry! You'll be so glad you did once you make a friend!"), but apparently they were all too dim-witted to notice that a girl who had gone out by herself (strike one) to where she couldn't reach the bottom of the lake (strike two) and was clutching a floating device that was a light blue, not the disgusting baby-barf yellow ones the kids were forced to use (strike three and you're expelled)._

_Blinking his eyes a little, Barry realized that she didn't have a floating device at all (strike four?), instead she was gripping onto a blue Pokemon (okay, that's just against common sense) and could barely keep her head above water. Barely wasn't enough, however, because just then she was submerged into the blue lake, bubbles forming on the top of the water._

_Reacting immediately, Barry made a mad dash toward the water and, with some difficulty, swam his way over to the girl. When he got so deep his head was submerged in the wildly splashing water, he could hear her high-pitched bubbling screams inn agony. Water filled his own lungs and he coughed madly, forcing his head above water to avoid both drowning and enduring more of her screams. The teachers in charge of them were calling at him, begging him to come back and wondering what in the world he could be chasing after. The girl, even though submerged deep underwater, still seemed to be invisible to them, which angered Barry even more._

_He kicked his legs wildly and, after yet another watery slap across his face, took two giant lungfuls of air and submerged himself under the water to continue his search. The screaming had stopped, which made him panic. But he saw the girl now, still gripping tightly to the blue Pokemon-which Barry now recognized as a Chinchou-as Barry swam after her. She didn't have the air to scream anymore and she was purple in the face, hey eyes looking terrified and lost. Barry gave in inaudible bubbly curse and snatched onto her arm, giving her a violent jerk to wrench her away from the Pokemon, which seemed fully intent on drowning her. It gave up and swam away._

_Barry wouldn't hold his breath any longer-and by that information he _knew _she must be suffocating-and kicked his way to the surface._

_The gasp the girl sucked in was tremendous. Barry pulled her over his shoulder in case she couldn't swim._

_"You okay?" he demanded._

_But the girl didn't answer, she was too busy and crying and shrieking and begging for help. She nearly choked Barry by grabbing onto him so hard, and Barry was having a difficult time keeping his head above water since she kept trying to force him down._

_The teachers had already reached him-Barry grimaced at how they swam out so easily whereas both he and the girl had nearly died-and they helped them back to shore. Once they were back on solid ground (which, earlier, Barry had no intent of leaving but was now soaked to the skin), Barry gave a spluttering cough and was greeted by a huge tug backwards, almost knocking him off his feet._

_"Renee, what were you doing?"_

_"You should have stayed with an adult if you wanted to go out that deep for any reason at all!"_

_Barry blinked and placed a hand on her trembling shoulder. She refused to part another inch away from his body, shaking and crying and soaked. Barry noted how freezing her skin was, how plastered her long brown hair was to her neck and back, and her brown eyes shaking with an eerie brown glow. She had goose bumps up and down her arm and her nails dug deep into Barry's arm. He had caught her name from one of the teachers: Renee. He wondered where that name came from; it wasn't from around here, that's for sure. It sounded French. She was wearing a girly, frilly pink bathing suit and seemed to have a very happy appearance, even while lost in agony of nearly drowning. The teachers tried to offer her comfort, but no, Renee wanted to be held by Barry and refused to even be touched by anyone else. This led Barry to believe that she must've been a princess from a faraway land: she didn't know how to swim, she cried like crazy, she had such a girly bathing suit, ordered people around, and a French name._

_The only thing left was her voice. Barry waited a few minutes for the sobbing to subside to weeping, and the weeping to subside to fragile hiccups, until finally she agreed to sit down with him and speak._

_"What's your name?" he asked softly to open up the conversation. He forced a smile that didn't seem to have any effect on her._

_"Renee," she sniffed, her voice still shaking and littered with hiccups._

_Barry frowned. He knew what to say next, but he didn't exactly know how to say it. After a few more hiccups that seemed to get slower and slower, he mumbled, "Don't cry."_

_This lightened up Renee surprisingly. "What's your name?" she asked with an innocent glow in her eyes._

_"Barry."_

_Renee smiled now, her hair was still wet and her eyes red from crying, yet it gave a pleasant image. The smile almost forced Barry to smile back-but a real smile this time. A big, genuine toothy grin when he realized he had just made his first friend of kinder. He made a vow there._

_"Renee?"_

_"Yes?"_

_"Can you promise me something?"_

_A feeling of obsession began to spread over his body, and he felt a chain arising between the, connecting them, and pulling them closer and closer._

_"Promise what?"_

_"You'll be my friend forever," he told her instead of asking her. "And you'll be mine and only mine, forever and ever and ever. Okay?"_

_Renee smiled. "Yes, Barry, I will, forever and ever and ever."_

Current Barry grimaced and rubbed his eyes. Unfortunately, back then neither of them had known what "be mine" or "forever and ever and ever" had meant. They had been young and stupid. And now they were older and they were paying the price.

Though it seemed dreadfully obvious that they were, Barry and Renee were _not _in love with each other, nor were they seeing each other as any more than friends. They were two kids who stayed together on the playground and spent their exact same birthdays together and begged the teacher so they could sit near each other in class-though it never worked because the teacher knew right away Barry would just try and make Renee laugh with his stupid jokes. But the teachers and their parents definitely saw them as a couple.

Barry had never realized it before, but now that he was looking back on it, it _did _seem like their parents were trying to put them together. And they never wondered why or cared. Barry found himself smiling as more images from the past crept from the back of his heart back up to the conscious part of his brain.

When they were five years old on the playground, Renee's father had simply whipped out a camera on a random occasion and told Renee to hold Barry's hand. It was never the other way around, _especially _with her father. He made Renee seem like the dominate one, and Barry knew-both back then and now-that he was definitely the dominate of the relationship.

On their sixth birthday, Renee had been told to kiss Barry on the cheek, and she did so without being told again. Barry, who wasn't used to the kind of affection from people who weren't his parents, tried to blink his eyes to fend her off, but he still received the full kiss. Everyone immediately started cooing about how adorable they were. It was actually only a year or two later that he had wished he'd been paying more attention.

And yes, Barry chose right there, where he had been lying so sick that he'd just abandon the other three and carry on lying there for the rest of his life, to wonder if he still had pictures left over. And it was in wondering that where he found the comfort to close his eyes and fall asleep. And, as he had been fearing, his thoughts remained on his childhood growing up next to Renee as if they were brother and sister.

_"Let's play basketball!" Barry shouted at once._

_Renee pouted. "No fair. You're taller than me."_

_"Soccer?"_

_"You're too fast."_

_Barry pondered for a moment. "True, true, I am pretty perfect in those areas…what do you suggest we do, then?"_

_Renee searched her mind for something they were even in. "The Spinning Game!" she said after a moment._

_"Can't argue," Barry muttered. "But just for the record, I'm stronger…"_

_"The Spinning Game" was a game the two had played together from kinder to grade three. You could say Barry made up the game, but it was very similar to Ring Around the Rosie, except a lot harder and with a lot less singing. You join hands with another person, hold on as tightly as you can, and start to spin around, building up as much speed as you can. You weren't allowed to let go of the other's hand, but you were allowed to use all sorts of dirty tricks to make them let go of your hand first or lose footing. The loser of the game was usually on the ground when it was over, crying. The game caught on with a bunch of other people in their grade, but Renee and Barry were seen as role models in the game._

_Here's how Barry and Renee gained popularity: If Barry had scored any points with any person at all, Renee gained every amount of those points as well. You couldn't like just one of them; it was either all or none. You can't be friends with Renee and not like the way Barry was so protective of her. You couldn't try and be friends with Barry and not have to put up with Renee's "princess talk" as well. But they acted the same when they were together-and they were _always _together._

_So, the Spinning Game it was, and Renee always forced Barry onto the playground before they began playing, for fear of falling on the blacktop. The sand wasn't nearly as bad, but that was kind of cheating, wasn't it? Since they were not only the creators of the game, they were also the best and least-injured players, they were obviously the most respected in school when it came to the game. But Barry wasn't entirely sure if it were being brave or skillful, since Renee always insisted on the tightest safety measures possible._

_Renee gripped onto Barry's wrists, keeping good distance between them for maximum speed. Barry grinned almost menacingly and they started to spin. Within seconds, they couldn't make out the background; it was blurred because of the speed. Barry was a pro at nasty tactics, and he never felt guilty. After all, he had taught Renee how to land in the dirt with minimum chance of an injury, so he wasn't afraid of hurting her. One of Barry's favorite skills was to take advantage on how much your opponent was focusing on your arm movements and try and trip them. Renee had seen him use it time and time again, but she could never react fast enough to stop him. The problem was that if it backfired, Barry automatically lost because he was forced to stop spinning. But it almost never failed._

_Tightening his grip to test her falling skills, he kicked his foot forward without warning and it latched over Renee's heel. Barry braced himself for impact immediately. If the two players are spinning and get tangled with each other, they're both always going down. And go down they did._

_Barry, who had been forced to fall backwards, got up without even so much as a scratch. It disappointed the poor boy, as he had been hoping for something difficult. Renee had fallen over to the side, her hair thrown widely over her face. She didn't move._

_"You okay?"_

_Still no response._

_"Renee? Jeez, for the love of…If I hurt you, I swear that it was totally your fault!" Barry dashed over to her._

_Renee sat up, as if the joke were too much for her to continue laying there, and she pushed her hair back as she started to laugh while smoothing out her ruffled sundress._

_"Ahahaha!" she giggled, red-faced. "You're so cruel, Barry!"_

_Barry started to laugh too as people began to watch them. "Man, you scared me for a second, Ren…Renee?"_

_The laughed ceased as déjà vu spread over Barry. Renee wasn't there anymore- no one was- he was alone on the playground, looking around frantically for what had happened. Well, Renee technically was still there, but she wasn't Renee anymore. She, who was still laughing innocently, had glown bright red and blue, then disappeared and was replaced by a strange being with a jewel in its chest. Barry, terrified, turned to run, but the thing was obviously too fast for him. It caught up with him, wrapping its red-and-blue tentacles around his neck…_

Barry's eyes snapped open and he sat straight up. He made a grumpy mental note to himself that he could only sit up when terrified in this condition, and lay back down.

These dreams were not normal.

In fact, there was solid evidence that these dreams could not be correct. First it had been Lucas, then Renee. And Barry knew for a solid fact that if anyone was secretly this "Deoxys" character, it was Disu. But he hadn't had any dreams about Disu. Only Lucas and Renee. And both times, when he had those dreams, he wasn't tired, he just…fell asleep without warning. This wasn't normal. He blinked back his eyelids, trying to recall his first dream, which had become fuzzy in his mind…

Here's what he remembered: The dream had seemed like some sort of picture put in his mind to fool him into believing something. In reality, he had _seen _Disu do whatever-it-was-Disu-did, he was knocked out and woke up in his bed, still half-frozen (on the inside of his body, at least), when his mother had called up that he had visitors. Barry hadn't even known what had happened to him at that point, but when Renee came up, he remembered everything immediately. He remembered spilling his theory on how evil Disu was to her, and when she didn't believe him, he remembered vowing with her that they would go to Jubilife together. Renee, at that time, had to go back downstairs for some reason, and _BAM_. Barry was instantaneously asleep.

And his dream was short lived, for he woke up just a few seconds later, but the scenes were playing out in his head again. Except that instead of Disu, Lucas was the one doing all those things. At the end of his ten-second dream, Lucas had transformed into a creepy alien-like thing and took Disu away somewhere into the sky. Before he had left, the new Lucas whispered to Barry- he swore it was just for him- "I am Deoxys, don't bother looking for me."

He woke up screaming about his nightmare, and had been forced to recall it to the two later when he realized that it wasn't a dream. Disu really was gone. And Barry had told them that it was this Deoxys thing, only to find Lucas speaking words like spears of terror into his heart:

"_In that case…" Lucas said, smiling slightly. "…you're just insane."_

He had seemed totally convinced that Lucas was Deoxys after that- Well, for about five minutes. After that, he just told himself that Disu was the evil one, not Lucas. But this Deoxys could not be a dream. It looked too real, too amazing to be a dream. So it wasn't Lucas…so what is it?

Now he was dreaming about Renee being this horrible creature. What could this mean? Barry also noticed another pattern: All of these dreams were based off an event that happened in the past. Could this "Deoxys" have powers that extended into bending reality? Or was Barry just a really nogalistic kind of guy? Well, it most certainly could not be the latter, maybe it were a combination of the two…Maybe Deoxys can reach inside his mind and bend his dreams into whatever shape or form he desired. That'd be pretty cool. But then again, it'd be a perfect explanation if Deoxys was, as Renee had suggested, a figure of his own imagination. But he was sure it wasn't. He was sure it was real.

He was almost tempted to wake Renee up to explain his dream to her, but he didn't dare. First of all, Disu was right next to her, and he didn't want to risk waking him up. Second of all, he was fearing Renee a little more now and didn't want to actually ending up being right. Third of all, Lucas would laugh himself silly about it later on.

But Barry wasn't mad at her anymore, needless to say. He had totally forgotten about what had happened that day. All he remembered now was their promise-both of the promises. Both making it to Jubilife together (which, now, had grown to conquering the Sinnoh region together), and that Renee would be Barry's forever and ever and ever. And Renee had made a promise as well, today, between all four of them. Everyone had silently promised to catch Deoxys. And Barry didn't know if it were among them or not, but either way, he was sure that it would be all four of them that would capture him.

And he was sure about another thing.

If he did have another dream, the evil would exist in himself, not Disu.

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

**Barry- Hey everyone, I think I'm experiencing character development!**

**Lucas- Really? What's it feel like? I need to know for when it happens to me…**

**Barry- It…It kinda tingles…**

**Renee- Hmm…I have a feeling it'll be Disu next, now that Barry trusts him…**

**Barry- Wh…What? I don't trust Disu! I just…Well, maybe he's not so bad…**

**Disu- Disu doesn't think Disu is so bad either.**

**Barry- =confused=**

**Me- Right you are, my multiple personality disorder OC. Yes, everyone, the next chapter is Disu's development chapter, so we can all get excited as we learn the answer to our long-awaited questions.**

**IS DISU AN ALIEN?**

**IS DISU SECRETLY A POKEMON?**

**WHO IS DEOXYS?**

**IF RENEE LIKES DUCKY AND BARRY LIKES VANILLA, WHO DOES LUCAS LIKE?**

**Kikuchi- Don't call me Ducky!**

**SHUT UP, MALE MODEL. I'M BUSY BEING AN EXCITING ANNOUNCER VOICE.**

**Kikuchi- =crosses arms=**

**IF SALLY HAS THREE DOLLARS AND JOE HAS TWO, WHO'S BUYING LUNCH?**

**SPEAKING OF WHICH, WHERE THE HELL IS MY SANDWHICH?**

**HOW THE HECK DO YOU MAKE A SCI FI FIC ABOUT POKEMON, ANYWAY?**

**WILL I EVER STOP TALKING LIKE THIS?**

**FIND OUT AT LEAST HALF OF THE ANSWERS IN THE NEXT EXCITING INSTALLMENT OF…**

**Me- Wh…What? I have to do it? Err…Deoxys Hunter Squad? ~Furyfur**


	7. Disu

**Deoxys Hunter Squad**

**A/N: It's here. We finally get to see inside Disu's mind! So…is he an alien? Deoxys? Mentally challenged? In love with Renee? Trying to kill Barry? Deaf? Abducted by Deoxys? A giant monkey who started a clothing line called the Banana Republic? We're on lucky chapter number seven! But, I was reading over the reviews, and I have to say something first because SOMEBODY =I'm not pointing fingers…Icey-chan…= got confused over the setting of the story in chapter one. So here ya go:**

**This story takes place in the Sinnoh Region before Deoxys was discovered. Because, believe it or not, this place actually existed a few years ago; it wasn't magically formed when Pokemon decided on it. Well, it did, but we're pretending Pokemon exist, so obviously it didn't. My goal was to write a Sci Fi story about how Deoxys was discovered and throw in my two favorite characters.**

**Lucas- Awww!**

**Barry- We love you too, Furyfur!**

**Yep! Team Galactic members Saturn and Mars are in this story!**

**Everyone- =sad=**

**Anyway, in the first chapter, the first scene took place at the lab Renee's mother worked at in Hoenn, but after the whole explosion thingy there to introduce what happened to Renee's mother, we get to meet Renee back in the Sinnoh Region. Is anyone having trouble keeping up? Icey-chan? Anyone? ICEY-CHAN? Anyway, let's start chapter number seven by learning where the announcer's sandwich is!**

**OM NOM NOM NOM NOM…**

**Okay, I think everyone expected that.**

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

Disu sat up just slightly, just enough to get a good look over Renee's sleeping body so he could watch Barry try to sleep. His eyes were still red and tired, but he didn't dare break his watch. He wished that he still had his glasses, but he had deserted them back in the real world. Now everything he saw was just barely fuzzy. So it's true what they say: wearing glasses when you don't need them _does _make your eyesight worse.

He had worn glasses for a whole day when he was watching the Jubilife Contest, now he regretted doing so, for his eyes had become addicted to the aid for near-sighted people. He had become sick to his stomach knowing that Renee had been looking for him, but he couldn't tell her where he was or what he was doing. And how odd it was being lifted up into the air and away by what Barry seemed totally convinced was _not _a figure of imagination. Disu smiled to himself, feeling the overpowering emotion of hate wash over him.

How dare Barry think he were mentally challenged, or even worse, an alien? _It's fear of the unknown, _Disu had told himself. _Barry doesn't know_ _who you are, so he fears you. _But Disu knew for a fact that he was nowhere near mentally challenged, let alone an alien. In fact, he was mentally gifted; his dream was to become a scientist and he knew far more than any other person or being of any sort. A few examples:

"There's no life on Mars, how stupid is that? There's not enough for any living thing besides germs on that planet. So we turn our attention to Pluto: There could definitely be life there. Most people would think I were insane when he explained them this, but everything checked out in order to live there: Water? Ice gave water, even if only a little, animals like camels could survive on very little water. Warmth? Animals like penguins could survive in extremely cold weather. Oxygen? Plants don't need oxygen and they create it for animals and humans. So, problems solved. Unlikely yet possible."

"The planets don't have one sun and those idiotic simple circles for rotation around anything. If that were true, then does the sun just stay in place? When it holds all that fiery energy? I think not. Hold your laughter until I finish, please: All the planets in this universe and any other are controlled by a master being-not a real being, just a force of nature- who decided what a planet will have in it, such as water or plants or such, and the reason why Earth is so perfect is because it wouldn't be any use to put water in one planet and plants in another planet, so everything was put in one planet that was the perfect distance away from the sun, and this planet was called "Earth," which means "paradise" in the language spoken outside our solar system. This being that controls the planets is commonly referred to by uneducated people as "mother nature," except it is much more complicated than that."

"Earth is round, just like all the other planets are round. It seems like a simple concept to grasp: Gravity pushes down on the Earth and the Earth rotates, making it round. Also, each planet has different gravity and different rotation cycle. How does this make sense? Gravity and rotation makes planets round, each planet has a different gravity and rotation, yet all the planets are round. The planets are round because the Big Bang Theory is obviously wrong! Listen: I'm a genius, but I'm not a god, so I don't know for sure how the planets were formed, but the Big Band Theory is so off it makes me wonder why scientists even exist. That's all I have to say on the matter."

As you can see, Disu is very interested in the planets. Not planets exactly: The universe and how everything in it works. He liked to wonder, if another human was in Nature's place and ruled the universe, could they do it? He'd like to find out if _he _could, but it was much more entertaining to think about other people. Barry, for example, couldn't handle it for five minutes without cracking under the pressure and being driven away from the throne by the people of the world. Lucas could last a month or two, and maybe people would accept him more, but he couldn't do it even if people wanted him to. Renee, however, would be frightened and try to escape, but Disu would help her. He seemed confident she was some sort of princess. Besides, she could pull off a politician if she wanted to. She's a likeable person, though afraid, but Disu seemed confident she could do it.

What would this world be like if Renee were running the universe? She also seemed like the type to treat only one planet with the gift of life, but give the other planets something special about them as well. Renee is creative for a human, Disu could feel it, but definitely not as creative as Nature. There'd be a lot more endangered and extinct species because Renee wouldn't be able to keep up with their needs. Renee also seems like the type to put her universe before herself, like a good queen should. The complication is, humans would most likely no longer be the dominate species of planet Earth. He'd ask Renee that later: If you were queen of the universe, what animal would be the dominate species? He knew what her response would be, however: She'd simply ask him where that came from, give a nervous laugh and a modest answer, something like "The humans because the universe already did such a great job with them." But Disu knew full well that if it were Renee's job to come up with the animals on the planet, they'd all be animals, no humans. A world without humans is like a world without knowledge.

Disu grinned. He was bored now, and he figured that Barry must be bored too. So, he forced himself to see what Barry was seeing. He was seeing moments from his childhood, all of which involved Renee. Oh, how sweet. He was mad at Renee and longing a better time with her. Disu searched Barry's mind for one he hasn't thought of yet. Disu recoiled where he was sitting, almost hurt by the vision.

_ He saw himself standing in Barry's memory, Renee and Barry on a playground in kindergarten, playing together. It was so sick it hurt. Is this what friendship is like? And what made Renee like Barry so much? And why was the vision black-and-white when he saw it, all except for Renee, who was in bright, vibrant color? Surely this meant something. Was the memory broken? Or was it a glitch? Why was Barry's memory so tightly wrapped around Renee?_

_ "The Spinning Game!" little Renee said happily. She appeared to be happy in the vision; nothing like Disu had ever seen her. Maybe it was because she was small. Or maybe it was because she was alone in her little world with black-and-white Barry._

_ "Can't argue, but just for the record, I'm stronger…" Disu couldn't help but spit in the sand with disgust. It was okay, no one else could see him, anyway._

_ Disu had no clue what the Spinning Game was, but the colored Renee and the colorless Barry grabbed hands together- a thick gray mixed with a pale skin tone- and they started to spin around in circles. Disu felt dizzier as they picked up speed, when out of absolutely nowhere, Barry shoved his foot in front of hers and they both collapsed. Needless to say, this caught Disu off-guard. Kind of like an assassin running up to you and stabbing you in the gut catches you off-guard._

_ Disu's last reason seemed to leave him. He dashed up to the black-and-white Barry and reached down to try to grasp his collar._

_ "You idiot! Do you have any idea what this girl's gonna grow up to be? Bastard!"_

_ Disu froze, watching the young boy laugh as if he weren't even there. He slowly released his collar, realizing he couldn't touch anything in a memory, nor could anyone see him. He turned back toward Renee, who was sitting with her weight on her arm, laughing as the wind blew her yellow dress over her ankles. Disu bit his lip. He'd had enough of this memory._

Blinking his tired eyes, Disu brought himself back to reality. He grinned to himself, the blonde boy's laughing face still haunting his memory.

Yes, that was perfect. Let's use that one, shall we?

Disu raised his hand in the air in a loose fist. The color changed from pale skin to blood red, and he twisted his hand around, experimenting with the memory. He didn't mind the work. He needed a new excuse to mess with him, anyway.

Barry was now seeing what Disu had saw, except from the point of view of himself. Except he was seeing the "newer" version, in which Disu included a few surprises hoping to get Barry to turn his back on his friends. The first one had been Lucas, this one Renee. Disu was still lost when it came to whether he should make one of himself or not. Barry already suspected him, why should he point fingers at himself, if anyone? Then again, wouldn't it be more suspicious if everyone _except _he were to be blamed for causing so much trouble? And if he decided to create a false illusion of himself, what memories could he manipulate? He didn't have any memories with Barry. And Renee didn't expect any dreams about Deoxys.

Now that Barry was sound asleep, Disu could lay down and think to himself without having to worry. The one thing that had been on his mind was Renee and the name she gave him. He used to like his real first name, but now that Renee had nicknamed him, he thought it sounded rather stupid. Deokishisu. It sounded long, boring, and, well…alien. But Disu was no alien- No, he had heard enough about that already.

He had noticed a pattern among his friends: All their first names had two syllables. Re-nee, Lu-cas, and Bar-ry. And his nickname was two syllables as well. Di-su. It also occurred to him that he needed a last name. Renee's last name was Harmony, Lucas's was Mallory, and Barry's was Usui. Another pattern: They all have three syllables. Disu didn't have a last name altogether. He had never addressed the problem until now; no one had ever asked him for his first name, let alone his last. And thinking of a last name for himself was hard, especially when he had to limit it to three syllables.

Hard to think up a nickname? Ha! Disu could do better than that; in fact, he could create whole _people _with a name and personality off the top of his head! Look at Kikuchi Sakura! Look at Barbara Kelly Bells! Not only did they have full personalities, they also had love interests, and, and…Well, both of them had nicknames, just like Disu. So that makes them special, right?

All in all, Disu was a genius and he was positive he could think up a last name for himself. It'd just take a night of thinking. This was the first time he had created a name for someone who he hadn't…well…thought up. He let himself take a break of these weird thoughts, promising himself he'd think of one later. Disu ran his fingers through the grass below him. Normally, this would make a noise, wouldn't it? But Disu couldn't hear anything. That was understandable, since he was deaf.

Disu had cried himself to sleep the night he had met Barry. It was a strange feeling. He was happy to had met Renee, neutral about Lucas, and hated Barry with every fiber of his being. And that was the very first time he had ever cried in his short life. The way he was born…He never thought he'd have to worry about emotion. What was it about Barry that forced through such a strong emotion from Disu's veins? It couldn't just be the fact that he didn't believe he was deaf? It wasn't his fault he's never heard anything in his life. He had to admit, that was pretty depressing…But surely it had something to do with Renee?

The feelings he had for Renee were a glitch. Just like his deafness was. And his hatred for Barry. They and the black-and-white memory. It was all a glitch. Just a glitch. Nothing to worry about. But if it _was _a glitch…Where did all the glitches start? It all started with accidentally becoming deaf, then a bunch of tiny errors flew from that: The feeling for Renee had come first, and that sparked the hatred for Barry, which must've affected Barry in some way, which caused the black-and-white memory. In that case, how did he become deaf?

He was _perfect_! Absolutely _perfect_! He didn't _have _errors! Humans were created to be perfect, Pokemon were created to be perfect, _he _was created to be absolutely, positively, _flawless_! So why had he become deaf? Surely someone was messing with him, someone like Barry!

Never mind, he decided on his last name: Shōgai. It meant "Failure."

…**And we end the chapter on that note.**

**Disu- So…I'm not perfect?**

**Renee- Of course not. But that's a pretty cute last name…**

**Me- …What?**

**Renee- Nothing, I'm just saying, it rolls off the tongue.**

**Me- Shōgai…I guess it does.**

**Barry- Wait, wait…I'm confused. He "made up" all the stuff we've been through?**

**Disu- That's not how Disu said it.**

**Barry- Then what'd you mean?**

**Disu- Disu doesn't know what you mean…**

**Barry- WHAT THE FUUUUUUUUUUU…**

**Renee- =ignoring them= Pretty odd way to end the chapter, but I suppose Disu is all-around weird.**

**Me- Yes. Yes he is. Anyway, legal experts say I must end the chapter with these four things…:**

**1: I don't agree with any of Disu's theories of the world. I made 'em up. Don't sue me or arrest me.**

**2: Disu has just explained that he's not an alien and that he is deaf. I won't tell you whether he's telling the truth, but just know that this is his own POV, so even if he were an alien, I think he would be at least able to confide it in himself. So if he were an alien, you'd know by now.**

**3: The thing about "glitches" is not talking about Disu being a video game nerd. At the same time, it has nothing to with him being a human either. It'll be explained later if you're confused. After all, it is a Sci Fi story…It's supposed to be confusing up until the last chapter, right?**

**4: I just totally wasted a chapter in my 30-chapter limit…But it was pretty fun to write.**

**Oh! And a fifth thing!**

**5: There MAY POSSIBLY UNDER SOME CIRCUMSTANCE be a sequel. I dunno, it depends how many people actually like this story. ~Furyfur**


	8. Lucas

**Deoxys Hunter Squad**

**A/N: This chapter might be boring…Who knows. All I know is that Barry explained the concept of love and Disu explained the history of the universe. There's nothing else for Lucas to do.**

**Lucas- Excuse me, I may not seem the part, but I have extraordinary deduction skills!**

**Barry- Great, now he's turning into Light Yagami…Wait, the concept of **_**WHAT**_**?**

**Disu- …?**

**Me- …Anyway…We're on chapter number eight. And…Jeez, I can't do this.**

**Renee- You can't do what?**

**Me- Lucas.**

**Barry- That's what she said.**

**Disu- Huh?**

**Barry- "I can't do Lucas."**

**Renee- You can't? I thought you had more guts, Barry…**

**Barry- ?**

**Lucas- =sighs= Yes, Furyfur?**

**Me- I did the math…**

**Lucas- ?**

**Me- …And you're officially the most boring character I've ever written about.**

**Lucas- Wh…What?**

**Disu and Renee- YES! WE'RE SAFE!**

**Me- Yeah, by about .02 points…And, without further ado…Lucas's chapter. =facepalm=**

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

He couldn't ignore it.

It was just _right there._

He was sure he was dreaming, but he had already pinched himself and it was still there.

Disu…staring at Barry?

What kind of witchcraft was this? Or maybe Disu acted so strange because he was secretly…gay? He had always thought if anyone was the gay one, it was Barry…Ahaha…Maybe Disu was plotting Barry's death? What if _he _was next? Wait, no, if Disu was going to kill them, he would've done it already…Would've he? Right? Surely no one would be murdered in their sleep…But he would stay awake just in case…

Deoxys Hunter Squad. What an odd name.

And Disu was part of their little group? Of course, Renee decided he was, but being deaf…Maybe he didn't know what they were talking about, or couldn't read their lips when they said "Deoxys." But Disu showed no sign of misunderstanding…In fact, he showed no sign of anything. But Renee sure did, and if she wanted to go through with this pretend superhero act, fine with Lucas…No.

Lucas shook his head. They weren't pretend anymore. Renee made it serious when she started crying over Lucas and Barry trying to leave. And if Renee decides it's serious…Disu and Barry make it serious.

So now he was trapped in this world of a wild goose chase over aliens…just because Barry had some dream. Yet Renee believed him. And Lucas had to admit, there was something off about Disu…but it was probably because he was possibly mentally challenged. It wasn't enough to be alien.

Has Barry ever been right? Lucas thought back. No, he couldn't find anything…The only time Barry's opinions were ever right were when he was agreeing with one of them, and because he has such a big head, that hardly ever happens. But what if Barry could be right, only this one time? The idea was so far-fetched he couldn't even joke about it. Not that Barry could ever be right…Aliens didn't exist, that's all, and Barry's been spending too much time on the Internet. He always has. Always will have. Stupid Internet…

But what if aliens did exist, what if Barry was right, what if Renee was defending her downfall? He had to admit, a lot of the "evidence" they had pointed to Disu being strange. Strange in a sense where he's a little…you know…not from this planet. If you would call what he had gathered "evidence," anyway.

The first piece was the undeniable fact that they had experienced some sort of witchcraft happening right in front of them. Barry frozen in solid ice, while Disu was chanting some spell. A trick? Why in the world would Disu pull a trick like that? Why would _anyone _pull a trick like that? It's not human! It's insane, sick, twisted and gross! He could've died right there, if he weren't on fire most of the time! …No pun intended, but if there was, that'd be pretty funny…

The second was that Disu seemed to loathe Barry, and bad things keep happening to him. For example, being frozen in ice that appeared completely out of nowhere. Nowhere! Could Barry's sudden illness also be part of this reasoning? Or was his cocky attitude crumbling under pressure of living with all this madness? Well, since the second one was very unlikely, so…

The third; Disu was abducted by some alien-like thing in the sky…and came back without even being shaken? No, he seemed healthier and happier! He should be lucky he wasn't dead! And the threesome couldn't even bring up the courage to ask him what happened. The one time they did, he ran off and, once again, set off an emotional time bomb for everyone else except him! He showed no sign of any emotion! No sign, once again, of anything!

The fourth; It's not weird that Renee's taking Disu's side. It's weird that she's taking his side to the point where she'll only face the rest of them when they threaten to leave. And she throws a total hissy-fit. Lucas couldn't stand it, being either all or nothing with her! She wasn't usually like that, for the small amount of time he'd known her! She changed when Disu came back. Disu made her different, to put it simply. Had a spell been cast on her? Or did Disu simply charm her into doing what he wants? Either way, it's too sick and disgusting to be human. Even if the latter was totally possible for a human, a very attractive human, no human would do it! Would they?

The fifth was a bit weird. The trio had met two strange people who seemed to know everything about them at first glance. These two people seemed to be designed from a blueprint, just for them. No one else in the world could be so compatible with these people. They were respectable, beautiful, strong in their own way…But they didn't have any social skills. And neither of them seemed to be created for Lucas. One was made especially for Barry and one for Renee. Each seemed too perfect to be real: Vanilla and Kikuchi. There was something strange about them as well. They both seemed perfect, and imperfect at the same time. Could they be suspects in this mystery?

…Has Disu been staring at Barry each night? Even when the alien-like creature had taken him to some faraway fantasy land? Had he still been watching him? Did he have a reason to hate him so much? How did Renee have so much trust in all three of them, while they seemed so cut-off from each other? Why were there so many questions to be asked, each sparked by one individual person?

Renee and Barry were special. They grew up together, they were born on the same day, just hours part. They both carried a friendship so strong with each other that they can share it with others and still have a mountain of it left. And Lucas was one of those people, which made him feel honored. Renee, of course she was lovable! How can you not take one look at her and just love her? You feel her pain when she cries, you laugh along when she laughs, she's just the greatest person on the planet! And Barry, too. The way he tries to rival everyone's good points to make up for his own flaws. In a way, that made him flawless. He was so immature in an adorable way, so much so it forced you to have a place in your heart for him. But Disu wasn't like this. Disu was strange, unfamiliar. He wasn't like them, yet Renee, with her pure-hearted ability to like everyone, seems to see something in him that the rest of the world can't.

Maybe she knows his secret? You know, if he had a secret, after all? Or Renee knew what he was trying to pull while being kidnapped, and thought Disu was doing it out of innocence? Of course, this is all assuming he actually did something…Barry believed it, Renee doubted it, what should Lucas think? Both of them had the purity to like or dislike him for a good reason, yes, even Barry. So how could they have such different opinions? Surely Disu was only one person? Maybe he was a skitzo? Then which half of him was Lucas looking at as Disu stared almost lovingly in the direction of Barry's sleeping face, using Renee's body as a sort of shield in case Barry were to awaken? It was too confusing to mull over at the moment, so Lucas let his thoughts place themselves in front of him, one by one, in no specific order. No thought was in a hurry to be thought about. They all chose to be orderly, as if not to spike Lucas's headache or get him too angry to think.

Did he like or dislike Barry? The kid was annoying, immature, self-obsessed, couldn't hold a conversation about something other than himself, childish, obnoxious, a pain in the neck, an IQ of around 30…There were a million words to describe him, none of them seemed completely correct. After all, something about him made him a very interesting person to have around. They were friends, that was for sure. Lucas couldn't imagine a way they weren't friends. But look at him! He's a mess! Not just right now, in this state, all the time! He has no idea what he's getting himself into the way he talks to people. He's not difficult to hate, the way he can act tough whenever he wishes yet acts like a baby to get whatever he wants. Yet he's easy to like as well. While Lucas refused himself the pleasure to go over his good points, he did not deny himself knowing that he had them. Barry had a lot of good points. But it felt weird to think about them.

Now he had to think about himself for a second. Lucas considers himself an imperfect being, just as other people his age did. But the thing about Lucas…He couldn't name his flaws.

_I may not be Mr. Perfect Citizen, but I'm not mean to anyone. I think I'm pretty friendly, I've never done anything wrong to another person…I hate, but I can't consider that a flaw, because everyone hates…I'm not upset over the way I look, I think it's just fine…I forgive people easily, I don't have a problem with that…I can't think of a time I've ever hurt someone else on purpose…And besides, Barry and I silently agreed to each other that the fight never happened…so even if Renee knows…it never…happened…It never…_

The rest of Lucas's thoughts would have to wait, because he couldn't stop himself from falling asleep. While he was asleep, he had an odd dream. Not a bad dream, not a good dream, maybe not even a dream. More like a telepathic look into everyone's mind. Almost like he inhabited their bodies for a few seconds before the scene changed and he went onto the next dream. It was scary, yet peaceful at the same time to know that other people felt nervous about the atmosphere as well.

First he was in Renee's mind, which gave him a funny feeling in the pit of his stomach. He felt horrible knowing that he felt it. _This is Renee's feeling that I'm witnessing, _he thought to himself. _I'm sure this is a sin. It's like I'm peeking inside of her. _He looked at himself, or Renee looked at him, their eyes locked on the day of their first meeting. Renee laughed a lot, and Lucas just seemed like joking around was the best thing to do in the spur of the moment. Those combined points made them realize they'd be great friends later on. He felt himself saying "I'm Renee" and watched himself saying "I'm Lucas".

Then he became Barry. A feeling of hatred crept up his spine. Hatred was an icy feeling that made his insides burn and his skin develop goosebumps. How dare this stranger boy with the black hair stare at Renee in such a loving way with his brown eyes that seemed to lead him into a never-ending labyrinth? But his eyes were not brown, they were red, yet he saw them brown. Lucas, once more, began to feel guilty that he was clawing at Barry's private thoughts without so much as a thought. But Barry saw this stranger as an innocent boy, no matter what angle he looked at him at. He was _not_ an innocent boy, Barry was sure of that, but he tried desperately to prove himself wrong anyway. Three words, however, entered his mind in such a strong way that forced him to scream it: "He's a monster". Barry felt confused suddenly. That wasn't hatred that was crawling up his neck…

Next, Lucas was Kikuchi Sakura, the boy they had met at the Jubilife Contest who looked similar to Disu. And to his surprise, he felt a horrible sick sadness tearing away at his insides as he stared, smiling to cover up his loneliness, into Renee's understanding eyes. Kikuchi couldn't even hear what they were talking about because the pain had deafened him. Talking to Renee made Kikuchi feel so familiar, so guilty, so wrong…And that had to be right. As Renee turned to walk away…

He was Barry again, this time feeling the sweet relief of laughter burst from his lungs. No matter how bleak the situation seemed, watching Renee wake up in a kimono just seemed downright funny. He didn't care how they got in the strange world, he didn't care where it was, all his attention was focused on the most relaxing thing in his line of vision. He felt calm and lighthearted, which made Lucas envy Barry's way of life. Maybe making everything seem like a joke was his own way of forcing himself not to be afraid. This feeling of bliss, however, did not last long…

Next was a bit of a surprise. Renee's grandmother. In all that had happened since Renee had left home, he had completely forgotten about her. He wasn't sure when this had happened, but her grandmother's mind said it was the present. She felt a horrible feeling in the pit of her stomach, lying on the couch, staring up at the ceiling. She knew she must keep her eyes open. But they kept threatening to close. Her feet became numb. She felt like a rotting fruit, lying there, unable to stay awake any longer. Her legs left this world, along with her fingertips. She must give in to sleep. Her hands and her waist became engulfed in the feeling that they were no longer existent, no longer real. Her lips trembled, forcing out the words "My dear Renee…" into thin air. The feeling finally reached her chest. It must have continued on up her body, but she could no longer feel it.

Lucas woke with a start, Renee's hands around his shoulders as her face toward over him, her hair creating a border between them and the outside world. Lucas hoped for a second that he could stay right there until the sight of his dream left him. But instead she smiled.

"Lucas, you idiot! I thought you'd never wake up!" she said, almost laughing and pulling herself away from him. "You poor thing. You've been sweating like crazy."

Lucas bit his lip as he sat up, wishing she hadn't said that out loud. Right on cue, Barry turned around from where he was sitting.

"Oooooooh! Lucas was sweating? What were you dreaming about? Naughty, naughty Lucas~!" he sang.

"Shut up." He put his hand to his forehead. It was wet with sweat and was freezing. He turned to Renee, who had gone to wake Disu up (even though Lucas was positive he hadn't slept all night and was only pretending to be asleep), and wondered how he should tell her. You don't just go up to a girl and say, "Hey, last night I dreamt your grandma died". There's a specific way to do it. Darn, they write books about this stuff…

"What's bothering you, Lucas?" Renee asked while pushing away Disu, who was content upon stealing her attention away by tugging as hard as he could on her arm. Chimchar, who also felt the need to annoy someone, had jumped on her shoulder and proceeded to pull her hair. Renee was demonstrating perhaps the most controlled level of patience he had ever seen.

Lucas took a deep breath. "You're, um…You're grandmother. I had a weird dream…Just a dream, but…"

All three of their undivided attention were now turned towards him. Even Disu stopped tugging on her arm to cast him a suspicious look. Lucas felt pressure dive upon his shoulders. He'd rather just tell Renee…

"What happened?" she asked with sincere interest. Lucas could tell from her tone of voice that she thought he was simply sharing a story with her.

"It was just a dream," he said quickly. The sun was rising fast and the pressure was too much to bear. "…But I dreamed she, well, y'know, I dreamed she…She died."

Even the trees had to stop rustling to stare at him awkwardly. Lucas didn't feel any better. In fact, now Barry was starting to look sick as well. Disu followed up their disbelief by looking away and making clicking sounds with his tongue. Renee didn't seem to know what to think.

"…What an odd dream…" she said distractedly, when she found nothing else to say. She, too, looked away. The wind started up again, blowing her hair past her ears as she stared into space. The Reverse World was silent.

"…Should we get back home?" Lucas offered. "To, y'know…check on her?" He had no idea how to tell her, but he honestly thought she may have been dead.

"…Yeah," Renee muttered after a while. "I'd like that. But it's just a dream, after all."

"Right," Lucas said quickly, full of relief. He saw that as Renee's way of saying, "If she _is _dead, it's not your fault". "That's right, just a dream…"

Barry stood up out of nowhere. "Aaaaalllllllll riiiiiiiiiiight…" he said slowly, pulling out the letters. "We'll humor your little story, Lucas."

Lucas couldn't think of anything he could say that would satisfy both Renee and Barry without also cutting himself out. He wanted it to seem serious, yet not serious enough for Renee to believe it. Besides, he didn't even know himself if she was dead or not…

Barry saw Lucas's news as his awakening, however, and didn't want to quit. He forced his hands on Lucas's shoulders and stared, strong and determined, into his eyes. The look frightened yet spoke to Lucas. It was desperate to be heard, strong and willing to prove itself.

"W…What are you…?"

"We'll go," Barry said powerfully. "And we'll check on her. But on one condition."

"What?" Lucas asked, dreading what he would say.

Barry turned to Disu. "Can you take us back to the human world?"

Disu looked horrified. "Renee has to stay here, but you can go!" he said, hiding behind Renee like a child.

Lucas thought Barry would insult him or get angry, but he just nodded, happy with the compromise. He then turned back to Lucas, digging his fingernails into his arms and holding him firmly in place. _Oh no, Barry, please don't say it…_

"If she _is_ dead," he said tremendously. "then you have to believe my dream about Disu."

He was afraid he would say that.

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

**Me- Yes! Now you can finally stop bugging me about finishing your chapter, Lucas!**

**Lucas- That was pretty awesome! I can't wait until I get another chapter to myself!**

**Everyone- …**

**Lucas- It's never gonna happen, is it?**

**Me- Lots of questions were raised in this chapter! And lots of questions will be answered in the next! Like…Is Renee's grandmother dead? Can they actually get back from the Reverse World? Um…Can Disu bring them back? Will they lose Renee as she awaits their return with Disu, who obviously wants her to himself? How come there was only one Pokemon in this chapter? How many "that's what she said" jokes can you make in this chapter? Can we finally put to rest whether we can trust or distrust the dreams of our trio? If her grandmother is dead, will Renee ever recover? Did the Announcer actually ever eat his sandwich? Or was it a hoax? How many more questions can I think of before I run out of brainpower and decide to update the damned chapter already? Find the answer to at least a few of these questions next time!**

**Lucas- =sighs= That was awesome…~Furyfur **


	9. Safety in Trust

**Deoxys Hunter Squad**

**A/N: Phew! Finally back on the chapters with actual titles to them…But it's still Lucas's point of view for half the time…Ugh…**

**Barry- This is my coming-of-age chapter!**

**Renee- Dear God no…**

**Lucas- Let's face it, Barry, you coming-of-age is just about as likely to happen as me getting my own chapter for a second time.**

**Me- Well, Barry's kinda right and kinda wrong. And Lucas…You're just all wrong.**

**Lucas- =bows head=**

**Me- Barry gets a bit of a chance to prove that he actually effects the plotline in some way…but he doesn't really come-of-age. And also…Lucas acts a heck of a lot like Barry in this chapter. I did that on purpose. Kind of like Lucas's "awakening." Oh, and Disu gets a hell of a lot stranger.**

**Barry- Haha! =points at Lucas= I have an effect on the plotline and you don't!**

**Lucas- No one ever said I didn't have an effect on the plotline!**

**Everyone- …**

**Lucas- Don't you dare say it…**

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

"If she _is_ dead," he said tremendously. "then you have to believe my dream about Disu."

He was afraid he would say that.

Lucas sighed. "Barry, that's ridic-"

No one interrupted him. He interrupted himself. It wasn't ridiculous. It was fair. What Lucas was doing was trusting the instincts his dreams had provided him. And if he was correct, Barry's instincts must be correct as well. There was no difference between their situations.

"…Okay."

"Hold it right there!" Renee shouted, calling attention back to herself. "You two are still planning your little escape plan, aren't you? You were planning this all along! You knew I wouldn't agree to it if you just tried to walk away, so Barry pretended to be ill and…and use…You guys are sick!" she spat. "You used my grandma as a reason to get away from me!"

Disu made a sniffing noise.

"Why in the world would we do that?" Barry spat right back at her. Lucas tried to make a motion for him to calm her down, but to no avail. "And even if we did, Lucas is much better at pretending to be a weak little failure!"

"Are you calling _yourself_ a weak little failure?" Renee shouted over him.

"Oh, you-you know what I mean!" he spluttered back.

"Master," Disu spoke up.

"You are the biggest idiot on the face of the planet! I can't believe we were even friends for a second! You're staying right here!"

"I'm going to say this word by word so you understand me completely," he said, lowering his voice. "I. Am. Going. To. Prove. Myself. Right. And. You. Can't. Stop. Me. Okay?"

Lucas was amazed. Barry didn't even sound angry anymore. Just determined. More determined then he'd ever seemed in the weeks they've known each other. He hated this determined part of Barry. He thinks for himself too much. There are too many things you don't want him to do that he'll do anyway. But Renee didn't seem to mind at all. In fact, she seemed to calm down as well. This was part of the magic connection between the two of them that he had no experience with.

"Lucas," Renee begged. "If you're just going to run away…just…please don't!"

"We're not going to run away," Lucas muttered. "Do you trust us?"

Renee paused and thought about it. "…If you can get to the real world, then you can go."

"Disu, can you do that?" Barry asked.

"Disu can." He looked away. "But why should he? Disu doesn't take commands from you."

"Please, Disu," Renee begged. "I'm worried. And I'm staying here, remember? So there's nothing to worry about."

Disu smiled. "Disu will do it for you."

Renee looked as if she remembered something. "Here, I'll give you my number so we can contact each other." Lucas's heart pounded. Even though Barry was being serious about the situation, he had to smile at that. Renee had pulled a pen out of Lucas's backpack and took his hand, bending it backwards. She scribbled her cell phone number on his palm. Lucas couldn't think of what to say.

"Um…Does your phone get inter-dimensional minutes?"

"Hilarious. Get out of here."

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

Somehow Disu could do it. Lucas didn't know if it was because of magic, or special effects, or if he were an alien…but somehow he could get the two of them from Reverse Jubilife to Real-World Twinleaf. Its silence echoed the Reverse World's. But it wasn't the same kind of silence.

"Right; let's go," Barry said, moving forward without waiting for Lucas. While he seemed to be the one to react the worst, instead he didn't acknowledge to Disu's "powers" at all. Lucas shrugged it off, wondering how he could get so serious so quickly, and followed him until they reached the end of the tiny town.

"Have you ever been here, Lucas?" Barry asked, staring at the roof.

"N…No."

"It looks a lot like mine," he murmured, in a different world. "Except the order would be switched around because my house is on the other side of the town."

"I see."

"I never figured out why the architects made the houses in this neighborhood so green and blue. It's odd, actually, how they have to make all the buildings look the same…"

"Barry," he interrupted, cutting off his daydream. "Are we going in or what?"

"What if she's dead?" Barry asked, looking straight at him. "What will happen to Disu if you finally believe me? And what will Renee's response be? I was just starting to trust Disu, too…and we almost got Renee back…"

Lucas didn't know how to respond. "So…" He shrugged, and leaned back and punched Barry across the face, causing him to hit the building with his back against the wall. "…you brought me all the way out here to chicken out?"

Barry looked horrified.

"It's a different dimension, Barry! You wait until we're this close to what may completely change everything, and then you tell me you can't do it?" he shouted. "You're just a chicken! And here I thought you could actually mean something to…to whatever it is that's going on! I thought we _could _get Renee back, I thought we _could _drive that stupid kid out of here! I hate him just as much as you do!"

"…Really?"

"Do you think I'm any less protective of Renee than you are?" he spat, looking away. "…Idiot."

Barry stared at the floor and started rubbing the bruise on his face.

"Well?" Lucas murmured, still not looking at him. "Let's go, then."

"I just said-" Barry started, but was silenced by Lucas's glare. "…All right. But I'm only doing it for myself, understand?"

_Great, he's back to normal, _Lucas thought. Only Barry could think so selfishly at a time like this.

Lucas tried the doorknob, but it didn't budge. "No good, it's locked."

Barry laughed and pushed him out of the way, rubbing his knuckles. "You're not trying hard enough, Lucas. Renee locks me out of her house all the time. Let the master do it."

"…I'll bet she does."

"What was that?"

"Nothing, I'll just watch the master do it…"

Barry took hold of the doorknob and tugged on it with all his might, unable to get the door to move. He gave up after a few more tries from different angles.

"Nice job, master," Lucas said sarcastically.

"Same to you, lowly servant."

Barry didn't look fazed by the loss, however. "Yeah, yeah, I knew that wouldn't work. I've always wanted to do this…"

"Do what, break into a girl's house?"

"Heh heh, yeah," Barry agreed. "I meant break a locked door down. Happens in the movies all the time."

"That's ins…You know what? I've always wanted to do this, too…"

Barry positioned himself, and Lucas mirrored him so closely that their elbows and feet were touching. "Would you like to do the honors, Lucas?" he asked, grinning.

Lucas echoed his smile. "One…"

Lucas couldn't help but think that in some crazy way, breaking down a door together resembles their friendship. What a strange pair of boys…

"Two…"

Barry leaned downwards further, and Lucas mirrored him. Breaking down the door to a girl's house just seemed like the perfect level of awesome.

"…_THREE_!"

They charged at the door with all their might. Since Barry was taller, faster, stronger, and more determined than he was, it was probably thanks to him that the door flew open as soon as they rammed into it. Breaking down a door was different than he had expected. It didn't fall to the ground, instead the lock broke and the door swung open as it usually would. But it felt great nonetheless.

"Ahahahaha!" Barry laughed. "I don't think I'll ever feel more alive than I just did! Y'know, just in case I ever kiss a girl…"

"Yeah, no," Lucas laughed. "But we're here for a reason, remember?"

The inside of Renee's house was just as Lucas expected it to be. Just a normal house. Two stories, a TV, a bookshelf, a small indent in the room for a kitchen, a dining table, a couch, and pictures of family members on the wall.

"Who's this?" Lucas dared to ask, pointing at one of the pictures. "Renee's sister?"

"You're kidding," Barry said, grinning. "It's her mom."

"Really? She looks so young…"

They were smiling and joking around, almost as if Renee were there, but inside they felt sick. No one was in the house. The only thing that seemed out of order was a little piece of paper on the couch. Barry picked it up and read it. He looked at Lucas.

"Okay. Let's go back. And just in case you're wondering, I give you permission to call her."

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

"Okay," Renee muttered. "What now?"

Barry hesitated, as if he thought Renee wouldn't be in a hurry to figure out whether her grandmother was dead or not. Then he rummaged around in his pocket for what seemed like ages before he pulled the paper out. He had folded it twice before departing. As he tried to unfold it, his fingers fumbled and he dropped it.

Renee grimaced and snatched the paper off the ground as Barry bent to down to pick it up. She quickly unfolded it and scanned it up and down with her eyes. She read it three times before folding it back up and then shoving it in her pocket. Then she stared at them. Everyone stared back. Disu looked hurt and unsure of what was going on.

"…Master?" he squeaked.

The noise seemed to release the monster in her. Renee threw her hand over her mouth and made a choking sound, then burst into tears and shrieked at the top of her lungs.

This time, Lucas couldn't blame her. He couldn't get annoyed at her or call her a crybaby or joke around about it like he used to whenever she cried. He really couldn't blame her.

After all, he'd probably be crying, too.

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

"Renee hasn't moved," Barry muttered. "It's bad enough _she's_ crying. But Disu, too?"

Disu, who didn't even know Renee's situation with her family, was sitting close to Renee, pulling on her and begging for her to speak or cheer up. The part of him that cried was the part of him that was perfectly human. He didn't even play his "deaf" game.

"You haven't tried talking to her," Lucas said to Barry in a whisper. "She'll listen to you."

"No she won't," Barry hissed. "I know what will happen if I try."

"But Barry, you're-"

"Lucas, you don't know her like I do," Barry muttered desperately. "I don't like the feeling when she doesn't talk to me. So I won't try."

"I might not know her like you do," Lucas responded. "But I know how you know her. And you know her closely enough to penetrate whatever shell she puts around herself."

Anger bubbled in Barry's chest. "If you want me to humiliate myself, fine," Barry whispered. "But I'm not doing it in front of Disu."

"Fine," Lucas said through clenched teeth. "But if I get him away, will you talk to her?"

Barry thought about it. "If you laugh, I'll claw your throat out."

"I won't. Promise."

"Okay…Fine. Just get him out of here."

Lucas thought for a second, then walked up to Renee and Disu. "Disu, do you want to help Master?"

Disu turned around, tears pouring from his eyes. "Yes!"

"If you do what I say, you can help her."

Disu stood up and looked determined. "Yes!"

"But you have to promise to do everything I instruct you to do. And you can't run away."

"Yes!" Disu said shakily yet proudly.

"Okay," Lucas said. "Come with me."

Barry could tell from Disu's face that he didn't like being given orders from anyone other than "Master." But he reluctantly followed closely, as if he were carrying out a sacred duty. Lucas lead him in a kind of march to a completely random point in the city. Barry was impressed. He turned to Renee, but didn't approach her yet. She looked even worse, sitting there with her back to him, all alone. Disu had made her seem a lot less lonely. Suddenly Barry was wishing Disu were back here.

Barry shrugged it off and went over to sit next to her. Renee pretended not to notice him and stared at the ground, hiccupping after she finally recovered from crying her eyes out. Barry couldn't help but think that, with her brown hair flying in every direction, tears streaming down her face, and her eyes lost in sadness, she looked quite a bit like the girl in the pink bathing suit with the French name he had saved so many years ago. Words fell out of his mouth unconsciously:

"What's your name?"

He thought about throwing his hands over his mouth, or saying something to make it seem like he had meant to say that. But instead, he thought it could magically be the right thing to say. Funny how the right thing to stay could be so incredibly stupid, it made him want to shoot himself. But Renee saw what he saw, apparently.

"…Renee," she responded, her voice shaking from crying.

Barry paused and stared at the ground. "…Don't cry."

Renee smiled a little bit. "What's your name?"

"Barry," he muttered.

Renee couldn't look sad when she was smiling. No matter how messed up she was. When she was smiling, she was a princess. Barry took a deep breath and smiled back at her.

"Renee?"

"…Yes?"

"Can you promise me something?" he asked, making full eye contact with her now.

She leaned in a little. "Promise what?"

Barry was lost now. He couldn't remember if it were the Reverse World or the Real World. He couldn't remember who was supposed to stay away until he cheered Renee up. He couldn't remember who just died. He was leaning in as well, that was all he cared about. His lips had a mind of their own, and chose to repeat himself from six years ago.

"You'll be my friend forever…"

Renee continued with him. "And you'll be mine and only mine…"

"…Forever…"

"…and ever…"

"…and ever…Okay?" he asked hopefully, as if asking for permission.

"Yes, Barry, I will, forever and ever and…ever…"

"…Barry?"

Barry's eyes snapped open, but he didn't move. Disu had froze him weeks before when Renee told him to freeze. What will Disu do in his own when he sees him making out with his precious "Master?"

Renee seemed to be thinking the same thing, because she shoved herself away from Barry as quickly as she could and shouted, "I didn't, I…Disu, don't be angry!"

"Whoa…" Lucas muttered in unhidden amazement. "Didn't think ya had it in ya, Barry. So _this _is why you wanted us to leave…"

Disu looked worse than angry. He looked psychotic. His eyes had turned bright red again, and the wind took a noticeable change in pace. The wind turned into a tornado that circled Disu over and over again until it was clearly not a natural cause, however weird the Reverse World was.

Renee stood up, not afraid at all. "Disu! You cut it out right now!" she shouted. She looked so small compared to the tornado that Barry had to fight himself to push back the impulse to grab her so she wouldn't go flying.

Disu, in this state, was too obsessed with destroying everything within a ten mile radius to notice her. The tornado turned a blinding white color, too thick to see Disu, yet his red eyes were perfectly clear. Entire trees were uprooted as they fell victim to the tornado. Barry felt the urge to say something as well, but it'd probably just make him more angry. If anyone was going to calm him down, it was definitely not Barry. That much was pretty obvious.

Disu spoke, but his voice sounded deformed, like how you'd imagine an alien to sound. "_Each and every one of you people are traitors and cheats! You lied to me, all of you! I'll enjoy blowing your bodies to oblivion!_"

"Disu," Renee reasoned. "Come on, it wasn't his fault, it was mine! You have every right to be mad at me, but only at me!"

"_I'll kill you! You'll die right here! People like you destroyed my family and friends and everything that was precious to me! I should've known not to trust you!_"

"Your family and friends were never destroyed!" Renee said, forced to raise her voice over the chaos happening around them. "Lucas and I! Barry, too! He's, like, the annoying little brother!"

"…Hey," Barry muttered.

"The point is, we can be your family, Disu!" Renee continued. "I never betrayed you or whatever! Let's forget this every happened! What were we even talking about anyway? I can't even remember!"

Barry blinked. Renee wasn't very good at this.

Disu froze in the air, unsure how to react. His only movement was grinding his teeth.

"This is weird, Disu," Renee said, lowering her voice. "Stop this. Whatever's going on, stop it."

Disu gave a stiff gasp, his eyes flashed back to brown, and fell from the sky to the ground. He moved to kneeling position, covered his face with his hands, and gave a shaky sob. Renee immediately dashed over to him, but Barry and Lucas didn't dare move.

"So, annoying little brother…" Lucas muttered.

"Shut it."

Renee made a movement for Lucas and Barry to join her where Disu was not moving. They did so cautiously, worried as to what Disu what do. But he didn't even acknowledge them.

"Okay," Renee said, standing up. She seemed unusually leader-like. "Barry, what do you have to say?"

"…Huh?"

"Don't 'huh' me," Renee growled. "You must be the most suspicious of all of us, so spit it out."

"I don't get it. Spit what out?"

"Your objection, or your plans to kick Disu out of the group, or the way you're going to put him down about it."

"Oh, that?" Barry said, rubbing the back of his head and smiling. "Nah, I gave up on that yesterday."

Renee was in disbelief. "But, you…When?"

Barry tilted his head a bit to the side, blushing a little. "Umm…last night?"

Renee giggled a little, realizing Barry's little game. "Did something happen last night?"

"I wouldn't say anything happened, really," Barry laughed, his eyes darting over to Disu to watch his reaction. "Just did a little thinking is all."

One of Disu's hands parted a little, revealing a teary brown eye staring innocently up at Barry, confused.

"And what did you think about?" Renee continued, trying not to peak at Disu out of the corner of her eye. She looked as if this was the best thing that had happened to her all her life.

"I figured that Disu isn't really suspicious," Barry said finally, hearing an imaginary drum roll in his head. Disu was now staring straight at him, eyes wide with disbelief, his hands holding tightly onto his knees. Lucas, too, seemed to realize what he was leading up to. "…I can trust Disu now."

Lucas gasped. Renee jumped up and down, her face now red. "Yes! Yes! I've been waiting for you to say that since Disu was kidnapped! Thank you, Barry!"

"I…wait…what?" Lucas spluttered.

Disu continued to stare. "Disu…sees this correctly?"

Barry smiled. "Yeah, Disu sees this correctly," he laughed. "Wow, that feels weird to say…"

"So Disu is…fine now?"

"Take it from the annoying brother," Renee laughed, still giddy with joy. "I assure you, Disu, there won't be any more reasons to be angry from now on." Renee kneeled down and hugged Disu tightly, still giggling.

Lucas tilted his head to the side. "But…This doesn't change the fact that Renee and Barry were…Never mind."

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

**Me- Yeah, Lucas, better not feed the flame for now.**

**Lucas- Well…That was just a dirty trick! He forced Disu and I to leave just so he could become a man!**

**Barry- =raises hands above head= Hey dude, look, I had no idea it was coming.**

**Renee- Nor did I.**

**Me- Huh…Odd. Something about this chapter made me sick…I can't put my finger on it…But now my stomach hurts. Oh well!**

**Disu- =happy= …Huh?**

**Me- The next chapter will have a much lighter feel to it. But uh…Riddle me this: In my writing only, how many of you guys prefer the lighter, comedic stuff rather than the crappy romance attempts? I know I prefer comedy in my own writing, but romance seems to be pretty important in this story…**

**Renee- This chapter answers quite a few questions, but a very important question will be brought up in the next!**

**Me- You seem pretty happy for someone whose only sane family member just died.**

**Renee- But…We still have this family!**

**Me- …Your optimism sickens me. That's what it was. ~Furyfur**


	10. Good Night

**Deoxys Hunter Squad**

**A/N: Me- Double Digits'! And you know what that means…filler!**

**Renee- It's not filler if important things happen, =glares= …Furyfur.**

**Me- I wouldn't call yourself declaring "Everything is about me" to be of any real importance, =glares= …Renee.**

**Renee- That's not the only thing that happens, =glares= …Furyfur.**

**Barry- Both of you guys are going to drive me insane with your constant clichés, =glares= …you two.**

**Lucas- You don't look cool while imitating girls, =glares= …annoying little brother.**

**Disu- Um…Umm…Darn! Disu can't think of anything to say…Let's begin, okay…?**

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

"…That's odd," Lucas said to himself, gazing into the darkness only lightened by the city's bright shade of neon.

"What's odd?" Renee asked, throwing sticks into the fire.

"Doesn't something seem different to you, Renee?"

Renee thought for a second. "The atmosphere is finally lighter, if that's what you mean. I can finally relax and hear the sounds of Pokemon…Creepy, but relaxing."

"No, I mean a physical difference."

"Yeah, that's basically all there is in the Reverse World. Physical stuff," Barry said, bored out of his wits. He was twirling an acorn in his fingers, laying on his side.

"There!" Lucas said loudly, pointing to him. "Right there!"

Barry's eyes widened as he sat up and searched his body for anything weird. "What? What?"

"No, I mean what you said!" Lucas said quickly.

Barry relaxed and scratched his head. "Uh…Physical stuff?"

"No, before that."

"That's all there is?"

"No," Lucas seethed, impatient to prove his point. "After that!"

"The Reverse World…?" he said weakly, pressured by this test of wits.

"Yeah!" Lucas said.

Renee thought for a second. "I don't see your point," she said after a second.

"Put what Barry said together with what Renee said!"

Renee looked thoughtful. "Um…The atmosphere is finally lighter in the Reverse World?"

"No!" Lucas said, growing angry, determined to get it through their thick skulls. "After that!"

"The sounds of Pokemon in the Reverse World," Disu spoke up, still spacing out and saw no point in the conversation. He was completely absorbed in a blue book with no title on the cover and no words on the pages, as if he could see something the rest of them couldn't.

"Exactly!"

"You could've just told us that sooner…" Barry growled.

"And what's wrong with that sentence?" Lucas inquired.

Renee and Barry looked lost in thought.

"…We don't know," they said in unison.

Lucas slapped his forehead with his hand. "Don't you get it?"

"There are no Pokemon sounds in the Reverse World," Disu said distractedly, filling the gaps. "Because there are no Pokemon."

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…Oh!" Renee popped in at last."So that means…No, I don't get it."

"Maybe we're not in the Reverse World?" Barry wondered.

"Excellent!" Lucas said, pleased with Barry. "But the gravity is still all wrong, correct?"

"That just makes me even more confused."

"So we are in the Reverse World, but we are not in the Reverse World," Disu said without ever taking his nose out of the book. The way he made everything sound so simple, like he had known all the answers before the conversation even started, angered Barry.

"I still don't get it!" he said, frustrated.

"Don't worry," Lucas said. "That's as far as I've gotten, too."

"…What?" Renee spoke up. "Can someone please explain this to me in simpler language? English, preferably?"

Lucas thought about it. "Well, I don't think there's a simpler way to-"

"The dimension we are in is the Reverse World," Disu said, tearing himself away from the nameless book to stare at Renee. "but it's starting to adapt qualities of our dimension."

"…I think I get it," Renee said. "So, this is kind of what would happen if the Reverse World and our dimension combined?"

"Curious…" Lucas muttered. "…I hadn't thought of that."

"But…It can't be true, can it?" Renee asked. "Disu, this has never happened before, did it?"

"The only way this could happen is if a strong rift in one of the intersecting dimensions forces it closer to another."

"Um…Seen any strong rifts in the Reverse World lately?"

"Well, there's always the matter of how we got here," Lucas said, ignoring Barry's joke. "That's what a rift is. A problem."

"So, it's a problem if we suddenly appear in the Reverse World…?" Renee guessed.

Lucas smiled. "It's a problem if anyone can enter another dimension. That'd cause a bit of problems."

"But…that can't be a big problem, can it? Not enough to make the Reverse World…move?"

"No, not big enough," Disu informed.

"So what could it be?" Barry asked.

All four of them thought for a while silently. The silence shattered when Renee gasped and pointed toward the way they had entered Jubilife.

"A Pokemon! A Pokemon!"

"So what?" Barry said grumpily. "Just a little Buneary."

Renee was way too excited to listen. She practically jumped into Lucas's arms at the sight of the brown bunny with the creamy fur.

"Lucas, Lucas! Catch it for me, catch it for me!"

"I can't catch it for you," Lucas said, trying to push her away. "Catch it yourself! You're a trainer!"

"But Lucas!" Renee protested. "I don't have any of those little red-and-white things left!"

"…Pokeballs?"

"Yeah! Those things!"

"You ran out?" Lucas asked. "Come on, Renee, be more resourceful! You didn't pay enough attention to how many Pokeballs you had the whole time we were here? And you should be able to remember their names by now!"

"Excuse me for having other things on my mind," Renee muttered. She turned to Barry. "Barry _Onii-chan_? Will you catch it for me?"

"Way to go, dude!" Lucas said, patting him on the back. "Now you're the annoying _older _brother!"

Barry ignored him, but grinned at his new nickname. "I'm outta Pokeballs too, sweetie."

"I want it!" Renee shouted like a child. "I want it! I want it! Barry, Barry! I want it!"

"Okay, okay! I'll go get some more, be back in a flash!" And with that, Barry had evaporated into thin air, leaving Lucas the only punching bag in sight for Renee's badgering.

"Lucas, Lucas!"

"I know, I know. You want it."

"I really, really want it!" Renee squealed. "Look at it, it's so fluffy and such a cute color! And it's eating berries off the ground with its tiny little mouth, and…Lucas! I want it!"

"My goodness, where's the off button on this thing?"

"Eek! Look at its adorable little fluffy nose…I want it, want it, I want it!"

Renee seemed to have been lost in some sort of rabbit-related trance, still gripping onto Lucas as hard as she could. Disu stared at them with the tip of his finger in his mouth, interested.

"D…Does it have to be that particular one? I mean, they run away a lot…As most Pokemon do…You should be prepared to-"

"Of course!" Renee interjected, determination peaking from absolutely nowhere. "It has to be this one that's over there! If it runs away, I'll…I'll…"

"You'll what?" Lucas demanded, horrified.

"I'll cry and I'll scream and I won't stop! It'll be all your fault!"

"Wh…_What_? Women are insane…"

"There are two things you should know about women, Lucas," Renee snapped, hands on her hips. "The first is that they'll do anything to protect what they love. Even commit murder. Happens all the time."

"It's official. I'm scared."

"The second is that when they want something, you better freaking give it to them."

"Barry!" Lucas shouted. "Where the hell are you?"

"Hiya!" Barry said, appearing out of nowhere. He just gave a new definition to "be back in a flash." "Got the Pokeballs! Since none of us have any left, I figured I'd get thirty."

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Just got here."

"…How did you…? Never mind."

"Come on, Lucas, is it really that hard to believe that everyone here can run faster than you? Besides, I take track."

"And you're not exactly known for being the patient one of the group, are you?"

"Speaking of impatience, give me the Pokeball!" Renee snapped. "I swear, if it gets away, I'll behead both of you!"

Barry muttered something under his breath and place his backpack on the floor. Lucas gasped when he unzipped it.

"Where'd you get the money for thirty?"

"Renee," Barry said without taking notice of his surprise.

"Renee's ten years old! Does she have a job?"

Barry shrugged. "Girls have their ways, I suppose…"

"Chimchar!" Renee shouted. Chimchar appeared from the Pokeball, greeting her. "Right! Now…What do I do?"

Lucas resisted the urge to facepalm. "Right…this is your first time actually catching a Pokemon, isn't it? Just battle it until it faints, then throw the Pokeball at it. Simple."

"Right!" Renee said again. "So…so…Chimchar, um…Flame Wheel!"

Disu was still sucking absentmindedly on this tip of his fingernail, looking innocent. Lucas practically felt the boy's brain moving.

"So…Tell me. Where did Renee get the money…? Oh wait, I know."

Barry smiled. "Really? What do you think?"

"Prostitution," Lucas said simply. Barry laughed.

"I thought you'd say that. But no, that's not it!"

"Really?" Lucas asked. "Because there was that one older dude who went on and on about how he was gonna sleep with her. Oh well, I must've been mistaken…"

Barry's smile disappeared. "What?"

Lucas was the one smiling now. "You know, the guy she got the Koffing from. If she lost, she had to sleep with every guy in their little gang. Five hundred people, if I had to guess. They were huge, too. They'd break her in a minute."

Barry's cheeks turned pink. "I…wait…she made a bet? And if she lost…she had to sleep with a whole flippin' gang?"

"Pretty much."

Barry's entire face was red now. He was obviously thinking something very dirty, unbeknownst to Renee, who was still fighting the Buneary with everything she had. "I…but…she's a new trainer! She couldn't win against…I mean…She makes those kinds of bets with strangers, but not with us?"

"How did I know you were thinking that?" Lucas teased. Disu was sincerely interested now. "Don't worry, she won, after all."

"_Onii-chan _will not allow this!" Barry stormed. "Unacceptable! That's…so dangerous! One little slip-up and she would…she would…Damn!" Barry buried his face in his hands, as if he couldn't handle blushing so much. "Stop making me think perverted things!"

"I'm not making you think perverted things, you're just thinking them!"

"But you won't let me stop thinking them!"

"But you don't want to stop thinking them!"

"But Renee'll hit me if I don't stop!" Barry cried hopelessly.

"Why will Master hit you?" Disu asked, intruding into the conversation.

Barry tried to seem reasonable. "Well…If I think about Renee naked or sex or something like that, Renee can tell, and she doesn't like me thinking about things like that so she'll hit me."

"Why?"

"Because if I continue with these thoughts…" Barry said, completely serious. "...my head will explode. So I can't think about it."

"Disu sees."

"You understand?" Lucas asked, amazed.

Disu nodded. "Disu sometimes thinks about these things as well."

The three of them froze. Disu had perverted thoughts as well…?

"I'm…astonished."

"_Onii-chan _will not allow this…" Barry mumbled again, looking away. His growling was so low-pitched, it was impossible to make out what he was saying. "If anyone's gonna…it's not gonna be…it will definitely…I have to…"

"Lucas!" Renee sounded out of nowhere, breaking the mood. "It fainted, now what do I do?"

"Throw a Pokeball."

Renee picked up a Pokeball and stared at it. "Um…Go!" she said quietly, tossing it on the Buneary. The Buneary was engulfed in a red light and disappeared. It was quiet.

"…"

"…Did I catch it?" Renee asked, looking the most hopeful anyone had ever seen her. "Did I catch it?"

Lucas smiled. "Congratulations, you caught Buneary!"

Renee jumped in the air. "Yeeaaah! It's mine, all mine!"

Disu smiled. God knew what he was thinking about.

Renee ran up to Barry, clutching the Pokeball. "Barry, Barry!"

Barry grabbed her in a giant bear hug. "Renee, I've been waiting since grade school! You've finally admitted to being a Pokemon trainer at heart!"

Renee hugged him back, almost crying. "Did I do good? Did I?"

"Of course you did!" both Lucas and Barry sounded at the same time.

"Renee, we need to talk," Barry said unexpectedly.

Renee looked at him questioningly. "About what, Barry?"

"You made a bet with a gang guy? And you had to have sex with him if you lost?"

Renee looked annoyed all of a sudden. "Lucas told you?"

"Sorry," Lucas spoke up. Disu's eyes were locked on the scene.

Renee shrugged, smiling. "I wasn't going to tell you, since you'd die if I did."

Disu's eyes widened. "Eh?"

"You see, Disu," Renee covered up quickly. "Every person has a meter attached to their heart, and when they think of things they're not supposed to, the meter rates it from one to ten. But if you think about those things too much, the meter can't rate it anymore. So if the meter stops working, I'll notice and then I'll hit you. Understand?"

Disu stared at her, astonished at this discovery. "Disu sees! That explains lots of things!"

Lucas smiled. "This goes against what Barry said, though."

"But Barry is a liar," Disu said, smiling.

"The point is, Renee, do you have any idea how worried I would have been if I had known?"

Renee batted her eyelashes. "That's why I didn't tell you. Because you'd be worried, _Onii-chan_."

Barry stared at her, oblivious to her flirting, or maybe just ignoring it. "But Renee, I'm gonna be your first!"

Lucas's hand slapped his forehead and he laughed. "Oooh! Barry, you dog!"

Renee shook her head. "I see you've been thinking too much, Barry."

"Disu sees, too!"

"Yeah, way to make it so obvious even Disu can see it. All the pedophiles approve."

"No, really!" Barry persisted. "Renee has to be my first!"

Renee continued shaking her head.

But Barry was too fired up to accept that. "Renee, I'm sick of this! Decide right now! Which one of us?"

Renee stopped shaking her head. "Which one?"

"This love triangle's killing me! Just choose! Who do you like?"

"I-I didn't notice any love triangle!" she said, suddenly nervous.

"Neither did Disu!" Disu said, panicking.

"…You didn't?"

"You guys like me?" Renee said, sweating. "I…I had no idea! I mean…Who? What? Wait, I'm confused all of a sudden!"

"Well…" Barry said slowly. "…I'm not sure where this leaves us."

"H…How about you guys compete?" Renee suggested.

Lucas frowned. "Well, even if we do, what about that Saku-"

"I have a fist that is perfectly capable of shoving itself down your throat, remember?"

"What?" Renee said, interested in her fan club all of a sudden. "What did Lucas just say?"

Barry shook his head. "Nothing! Nothing!"

"…Kikuchi Sakura," Lucas finished, grinning.

"Don't say that name!" Barry shouted, red in the face.

"Ooh!" Renee shouted. "Mr. Sakura? Oh, he's so cute and cool! Yeah, if you're gonna fight over me, he has to be here too!"

"If he's here," Disu spoke up, looking sick. "Disu doesn't wanna be here anymore."

"But it'll only be complete if you're here, too, Disu!" Renee said, looking pleased. "I want everyone here! I want everyone to fight over me!"

"Don't forget, Disu or no Disu, I'll win you over, Renee!" Barry shouted, fired up.

"I love this!" Renee said with delight. "A new Pokemon, and every guy I've ever met likes me!"

"Enough of this," Lucas muttered. "We're not gonna fight over a girl…And besides, we'd all lose to Disu, anyway."

"Maybe you would, but I'd be first!"

Renee tilted her head. "Well, here are the current standings: Disu is probably first place, and…Lucas is last."

"Thank you ever so much," Lucas said dully.

"And me? Me?"

"Probably right after Mr. Sakura," Renee told him after some thought.

"Okay. I'm gonna go hide in a corner now."

"Have fun!"

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

"People! People!"

"What?" Lucas asked.

"People!" Renee said again, looking pale.

"I don't get it. What's the joke?"

"People!" she forced out. She seemed to have trouble standing, and tears were streaming down her face.

"What about people? With it with the goddamn riddles and tell us what's going on!"

"There are…people!"

Lucas stood up. "Well…Let's go see what's bugging Renee. After you, _Onii-chan_?"

Barry didn't budge. He had found himself a nice little corner to go and hug his knees, refusing to talk to anyone.

"Quit sulking, it won't make her like you any more than she already does."

"Shut up…Third place…Third place is…horrible…"

"I don't see what the big problem is," Lucas said, adjusting his backpack.

Barry whirled around. "The problem is, I don't want Renee to have sex with Disu!"

"Just relax, both of you are only ten, anyway…"

"People! People!" Renee said angrily. "Lucas! Lucas! There are…"

Lucas grabbed Barry by his collar and started to drag him towards the city. "Let's go, buddy. She won't stop freaking out until we do."

"But I wanna stay here…"

"Stop being an idiot. You won't ever win any points with her if act like you…"

Barry looked at him, his eyes cloudy. "If I what?"

"…Oh my god. Renee was right."

"…Right about what…?"

"P…People."

"Not you, too!"

"No, Barry, there are…humans."

Renee had been right after all. The city was alive again, humans coming and going through buildings as they had been before.

Renee ran forward. "I'm gonna go find Mr. Sakura, bye!"

"Wait! Renee! We have to figure out…"

But Renee was gone, evaporated in the air as Barry had. Disu followed her, obviously interested in meeting Sakura. And that sent a spark off in Lucas's brain.

"Disu shouldn't know who Sakura is…"

"Well, the kid's creepy…"

"But still, when did he ever meet him? And why does he hate him…? I think we have to figure it out, Barry."

"Why? I don't wanna."

"You'll be able to get your revenge."

"Let's go!"

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

Renee's first place to stop was the contest hall. She felt strange running through the city in her kimono, but that was the last thing on her mind. She could finally see Mr. Sakura again, and ask him if he noticed anything weird. The contest hall was empty, but it was obvious that the current contest was not cancelled. The advertisements and such that were all hanging up were still there, and all the flashy lights were still on. But it was deserted. Except for Mr. Sakura.

He grinned at her with intense mint-colored eyes. "Harmony."

"Sakura…" she answered slowly, as if greeting him.

He held out a hand to her. "You have questions, no? Come. Let's take a walk."

"I…I'll look weird," she blurted stupidly, indicating her purple kimono.

Sakura looked at her soothingly, smiling as if pitying her. His hand was still held out. "You have no reason to take notice of anyone but me."

Renee hesitated, then took his hand. To her surprise, he pulled her forward and she met his embrace.

"This is the safest place you can be."

"R…Really?" she spluttered, blushing.

"Do you feel threatened?"

"I…I suppose," she said slowly. "I think any person would feel threatened by you, Mr. Sakura…"

"Why do you think that, Harmony?" Renee could feel his smile looking down on her. "That's cold. It hurts."

"Don't make fun of me…" she persisted. "It's true. Something weird happened right after you said something to me."

"Ah, forgive me. It was a shame we couldn't finish our battle. But perhaps some time other than now. Now, what was that 'weird thing?'"

"Well…We were sucked into the Reverse World."

She was absolutely positive he was smiling now, even if he was still holding her in a position where she couldn't see him. He was definitely smiling.

"Interesting. That would explain why we're all here."

"Are we still in the Reverse World?" she asked, still fighting his grip. At the same time, she was reluctant to escape it.

"'Still' is the wrong wording. We were not in the Reverse World before. You have to remember, Harmony, there's a difference between 'we' and 'I.' But we are currently in the Reverse World."

"So, you…were still in our dimension."

"Yes, I was."

"What happened to everyone while I was gone?"

"They didn't notice."

"Th…They didn't?"

Sakura laughed. He let her out of his hold so they could stare eye-to-eye. As expected, he was smiling his cool smile. "We can't notice things like that as humans, Harmony. It wasn't as if you simply disappeared, you were sent to another dimension with your friends. But only your friends. The rest of us…simply stayed there. Time was frozen, so no one noticed what happened."

"Then why do you know?" I muttered, horrified of what he will do now that there was a difference between "Renee's friends" and "Kikuchi Sakura."

"Again, the wrong wording," he said, grinning as his eyes stared lovingly at her. She stared transfixed back at him. "But never mind, let's go for a walk."

"But…I still don't understand!"

He looked at her simply, his smile gone. He suddenly let out a strange aura. Renee decided it would be best to let it go.

"If I told you everything you wanted to know…" he said, forcing a fake smile that still reflected his normal hospitality. "…I'd be rather sad."

"…Why?"

"I may not look it," he said, referring to his six or seven females that always followed him around constantly. "but I'm rather lonely."

Renee couldn't breathe. There was no air in here.

"So, I won't risk losing you," he finished simply.

"I…don't know what to say," she said stupidly. "But…thank you?"

"Is that a question?" he said smiling. "Or sarcasm?"

"I could ask the same for you, actually…"

His smile became real again. "You truly are special, yet strange."

"Do you know Disu?" she forced out all of a sudden. "When I say his name, you smile and claim to not know him, but he's one of my friends who looks a little like you! You said only my friends and I went to the Reverse World, right? Well, he went too, so you must know him!"

Sakura looked like he didn't know how to react for a fraction of a second, but then his expression was back to normal. "Disu is a name?"

"Um…Well, a nickname."

He laughed. "How cute. All this time, I just thought you were speaking nonsense. No, I'm afraid I don't know anyone by that name."

"…Oh. Well, he seems to know you."

"Eh…?" He looked like he wasn't sure of the situation once again.

"Yes, I mentioned your name and he seemed like he didn't like you! He said…He said that if you were here, he would leave!"

Sakura looked bitter. "Eh…And this is a child, correct?"

"…No. He's older than me, actually."

"Ah…"

He went silent for a second, and that second ended up pulling out a lot longer than it should have. He seemed deep in thought.

"…H…Huh," Renee muttered, feeling mean for bringing it up. Maybe Sakura was even lonelier than she thought.

He looked at her. "Do you have somewhere to be?"

"No," she said at once.

"Neither do I."

It went silent again. It crossed Renee's mind to say something that would encourage this poor boy to speak again, but it seemed hopeless. He seemed like he was in pain, and he was staring at the ground. She took a deep breath, but before she could say anything:

"You ditched your friends to come here, didn't you?"

She stood astonished for a second, then spluttered, "Th-That's…not the right wording!"

He smiled at her. "It is time for us to leave."

Renee frowned. "Wh…Why?"

Sakura looked at her with those eyes once more. In all the short time Renee had known him, he never had looked so sad, even with that smile.

Barry and Lucas burst through the door at that exact moment, causing Renee to jump. But Sakura looked as if he were expecting her.

Barry grinned. "Ducky! Holy crap! You have no idea how much I missed you!"

"I sense hatred in your voice," he responded quietly.

"Which would explain a lot, because you better get your dirty ape hands off my girl or you won't need to worry about getting your hands off anything anymore!"

"Was that a threat?" Lucas asked. "It seemed more like a fail to me."

Renee looked at them sadly. "Wh…Where's Disu?"

"He wasn't with you?" Lucas asked.

"No…"

"Great, first we have a pervert fondling my first, now we have a missing loser on our hands," Barry muttered. "On top of that, I'm in third place! I hate today! Today sucks! You better get out of here now, Ducky, before I run you out!"

Renee bit her lip. "Barry! Just…Leave my friends along for once!"

Sakura didn't move. This obviously wasn't the correct atmosphere for him.

"You know what your problem is?" Barry shouted. "You can never stay next to me for a second, can you?"

"And you know what _your _problem is?" Renee rebounded. "You got so used to me by your side in kinder! Now I'm grown up, and you still think I can't be let out on my own!"

"You're only ten!"

"So are you!"

"But I'm not the problem!"

"Yes you are, you're the only problem here!"

"I give up!" Lucas shouted. "Nobody can control you two!"

"Please stop this!" Sakura shouted, eyes quivering. "It isn't right for friends to fight!"

Silence filled the room at once. Renee was obviously in no condition to object, and Barry didn't want to say anything if Renee didn't. Lucas was just plain horrified.

"…Mr. Sakura," Renee said after a long pause. "I'll see you again, right?"

Sakura looked like he might be sick. He averted his eyes from her, refrained from answering, and walked out of the contest hall.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Let's look for Disu," Lucas said, breaking the silence.

"Yeah."

"I'm sorry," Barry sighed, staring at his feet.

"I'm sorry, too," Renee mumbled.

"What does this mean?" he asked her, looking up. "I don't get it, Renee, can someone just explain this to me?"

"I don't get it either," Lucas muttered.

"You know what I do when I don't get something?" Renee said, determined.

"What?" they both said.

"I go shopping! And since my clothes are nowhere to be found, that's exactly where we're gonna go!"

"Ah crap…How did I know you would say that?"

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

"'Kay…Whaddaya think?"

"Isn't the skirt a little…short?" Lucas muttered.

"Nonsense," Barry laughed.

"Yeah," Renee said. "It's not that short. My school uniform is worse than this."

"What school do you go to?"

"How cute, Lucas wants to enroll now," Barry laughed.

` The thick atmosphere was gone. Disu was gone, no sign of Sakura, but who cared? Not the Squad, because they were too tired. That little episode wore them out, and now they didn't want to go about worrying about their friends. Disu always found his way back, and they were keeping their eyes open, anyway. But the Squad needed a good week or two to themselves. And since that'll never happen…may as well take five. That's all they'll get, anyway.

"I need a second opinion!" Renee persisted.

"My god, can we just get a hotel and sleep already?" Lucas insisted.

"Yeah, women shop too much."

"You look just fine," a female voice said. The Squad turned and saw none other than their favorite blonde head.

"Vanilla!"

"Excuse me for being in such a bad mood," she laughed gauntly. "I'm not really in the mood for talking."

"That's fine!" Barry said excitedly. "Why are you in a bad mood, anyway?"

Vanilla looked at Renee, making Renee bite her lip. "Nothing." She shrugged her shoulders and handed Renee a hundred dollars. "Enough to cover the outfit."

"I…You don't have to…" Renee spluttered, unsure of how to react.

"Like I said, I'm not in the mood for talking."

And with that, she was gone.

Barry sighed. "She's so pretty."

"Your second, I suppose?" Lucas offered.

"Depends who says yes first," Barry said dreamily.

Lucas patted him on the back. "Good luck, you crazy delusional pervert."

Renee stood frozen. "In any case…Let's play for this, and we'll go get a hotel room."

"Sweet! Finally!"

Renee's new outfit consisted of a brown formal-looking top that with a white undershirt and a blue skirt. She also bought plain brown shoes, the cheapest ones she could find, thinking that expensive shoes weren't worth more than a hotel room. She also bought a blue ribbon and tied it in her hair, keeping it parted on her left.

They rented, once again, a room with two beds and faced the choice of who slept with who.

"If we find Disu, I sleep with him," Renee said at once.

"No way! I sleep with you no matter what!" Barry whined.

"Why should you get to sleep with her when you've been talking about sex all day?"

"Because Lucas got to sleep with her last time, and Disu sleeps near her whenever we camp, it's my turn!"

"How about we agree to disagree, and I get a bed to myself?" Renee offered.

"Absolutely not!" both of them said together. "Out of the question!"

"Alright, I get it, I'm only here for sex appeal. Fine, I suppose it _is_ Barry's turn."

Barry grinned. "See, Lucas?"

"But I told Nurse Joy that we're waiting for someone, and if Disu gets here, you have to move."

"Fine, but Disu won't find his way here…"

"Everyone!" Disu shouted, practically breaking the door down. "Disu just made it! Disu is sorry for running off! How is everyone?"

Barry looked crushed. Lucas patted him on the back. "It's okay. I'm still a good friend, right?"

"Irony just hates me…"

Renee smiled. "Good night, everyone!"

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

**Me- Good night indeed. I can't think of a chapter title, so may as well make it what Renee just said…**

**Renee- What the heck was that? Am I really just here for sex appeal?**

**Me- Yeah, so is Vanilla!**

**Renee- Darn you…**

**Barry- Yeah, you can't do that! She's my girlfriend, so don't treat her like-**

**Everyone- No she's not.**

**Barry- Huh? But…She's…**

**Everyone- No. She's. Not.**

**Me- Please join us for the next exciting chapter! Eheheh…It won't be filler.**

**Renee- But this chapter wasn't even filler!**

**Conway- Hey everyone, I'm in the next episode of the Pokemon dub!**

**Me- YAY! =huggles Conway=**

**Conway- Eek! A girl other than Dawn touched me! I'm meeeeeeeeeeeeelting!**

**Me- =wipes away tear= I love that kid…~Furyfur **


	11. The Culprit Found

**Deoxys Hunter Squad**

**A/N: It actually took me quite a while to figure out where to pick up here when I was planning the chapters out. And, well…The ending of this FanFic made me cry, actually…**

**Barry- Who dies? WHO DIES? Tell me it's the Kyoya rip-off!**

**Kikuchi- Hey! Who's the Kyoya rip-off, Hikaru?**

**Renee- And Lucas would be Kaoru…I guess…And Disu is Honey…And I'm Haruhi, of course.**

**Lucas- Then who's Tamaki?**

**Barry- This conversation has officially gone down the drain…**

**Me- I never said anyone dies!**

**Lucas- Ten chapters in and we still haven't established a villain! Gosh Furyfur, are you sure you planned all this out?**

**Me- …=sniff=…The ending's really sad, though…**

**Barry- It's gotta be He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. He dies, right? Right? That glasses-wearing... =mumbles=**

**Me- Speaking of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named…That movie is the most important movie in the world! Everyone must go see it! GO SEE IT NOW! When I was reading it, I was praying that nobody else died…**

**Disu- …What?**

**Me- And now, we shall start the actual chapter!**

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

"Barry…"

Barry gave another loud crunch and turned around, hastily throwing Pocky in his mouth as if it were his last meal. He was savoring every moment he could of being able to goof off in the hotel room. "Hm?"

Disu scratched the back of his head. "Disu thought he should warn you…"

"I'm reading manga, warn me about the stability of the Reverse World some other time."

Disu gulped. "But, err…It's not that."

"Spit it out."

"It's…It's Lucas. Lucas said he would…"

Lucas burst through the hotel door, as if he had been counting down the seconds. "Heeeey, Disu! I figured I should remind you about that little thing, ya know?"

"E-Eep! W…What thing?"

"Oh, you know…That thing! The really little thing! Aw man, it's on the tip of my tongue…Maybe…something to do with…err, that's not it…But it was really little, ya know? Ahh…I figured I should remind you, in case you forgot!"

Disu looked horrified. "Y-Yes, that so-called 'thing!' Disu shall get to it straight away, please do not worry!"

Disu fled from the room as fast as he could. Barry slipped another stick of chocolate-covered biscuit in his mouth and stared questioningly up at Lucas.

"…What'd you do?"

"Do what?" Lucas asked with obvious swaying back and forth. Barry glared at him.

"Okay, now I'm worried. Is someone dead or something?"

"Aha!" Lucas laughed, suddenly looking threatening. "You'll wish you were dead, that's for sure."

Barry sat up in fear. "Huh…? Wh-What'd you do, Lucas?"

He stepped right up to him, looking down on him. Barry, who couldn't stand being looked down upon, stood up to claim his rightful place as the tallest of the group. But it still seemed like Lucas was smiling at him from above, even if he had to strain his neck to reach eye level. Barry hated that.

"I'm gonna burst your fragile bubble."

"A mental image I do not care to linger on."

Lucas shook his head. "There won't be any jokes when I tell you my dirty little secret."

"Dirty little…? The more I pay attention to the crap your spewing, the more it sounds like you're gonna rape me."

Lucas grinned. "That is the least of meanings my words have. Believe me, Barry. All in due time. But I did something horrible, something you'll probably kill yourself over. You, the most positive person on the planet. Oh, you'll wish you were dead…"

Lucas turned around and walked out of the room, snickering.

Barry had _no idea _what had just happened.

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

"Okay!" Renee said happily. "The gang's all here and we're done with Jubilife!"

"What about your contest?" Barry asked.

"We don't really need to worry if we're in the Reverse World, right?"

"I guess so…"

Lucas shrugged and scratched the back of his neck, his cheeks red. Barry recognized this motion right away.

"Someone's in love."

"…Huh?..."

"What's up, Lucas? Considering against raping me?"

"EH?" Renee spluttered at once. "I-I-I…What? Lucas, you were…?"

Lucas jumped a little. "Eh? No. No, that's not it…"

"Then what's eating you?"

He looked at Barry sympathetically.

"I was kinda hoping you wouldn't…you know…get mad at me."

"…Huh…?"

Lucas shook his nervous symptoms away and looked Renee straight in the eye, yet still addressed Barry.

"This is it, Barry. The last words I will ever speak to you without loathing."

Barry felt like crying for half a second. Then he realized, no…He still hated Lucas.

"Renee, I'll get straight to the point so no one mistakes me. Will you go out with me?"

And, _boom_. With a drum roll, Lucas had left Barry to rot in last place. Yikes, that was just plain mean. And no one could have done that except Lucas. No one else could be that blunt and horrible.

So, every person has a soul, apparently. And Barry felt his simply drain away. As for Lucas's soul, it had simply turned black with the same dramatic entrance as his offer had. All that was left that would possibly save their damned souls was Renee's refusal. And…She would refuse, right?

_She grew up with me. _Barry told himself. _Everything we've ever experience seemed to shout us in the face: "Just frickin' hook up already." She was my best friend. We were meant for each other. It wasn't supposed to happen like this. She'll refuse, she'll definitely refuse. She grew up with me…_

"Lucas," Renee said wistfully after a drawn-out silence filled with disbelief. "I…don't think I could."

Barry gulped down a mouthful of emotion and made a tiny choking sound.

"No, I don't think I could…I have lots of other stuff to think about. I've never dated before, and…Well, we've all had our hands full…And plus, I've had quite a bit room in my heart occupied by someone else. Yeah…Barry keeps telling me he'll slaughter whoever I go out with."

"I knew you'd say no," Lucas said simply. "I knew it. I just knew it."

"But, we could…still be friends?"

Lucas shook his head with disgust. "Right, well…I suppose you win, Barry."

Barry couldn't answer, he was too busy forcing back tears.

"I figured you'd be happy."

"I…I am," he choked after a few seconds.

Renee smiled. "B-But we're all still friends here, right? No one's gonna go kill each other? Or rape each other? That _was _a joke, right?"

Disu smiled, oblivious. "Eheh."

Barry looked up at her, smiling. "Renee, I…"

"This doesn't mean I'm going out with you," she covered up quickly. "It means I'm not ready for a boyfriend, understand? And if I'm not ready for a boyfriend, I'm definitely not…!"

No one interrupted her. Nor could she continue her sentence. They were all lost in silently-shared thought.

So…What?

Who did she pick? Will Lucas ever follow up on his offer? What was going through Disu's mind? So the little love triangle wasn't exactly over yet? Yet this cleared something up. Something huge.

It meant she was waiting for Barry. Waiting for him to make his move.

He'd never realized it before. Renee was gorgeous - well, on the inside, but she looked to plain to be called gorgeous. She could've gotten a boyfriend at any time she wanted to, within seconds. And yet she hadn't. What was Barry thinking, all of these years? She was hiding because she was afraid? She was going to grow out of it? She had grown out of it from the beginning. From _their _beginning. When they had first met. She refused every other man because she was waiting for him.

So, there's Barry's go-ahead.

And yet he still couldn't take it.

"So?" Lucas had asked him later. He seemed fine, but they had left him alone for two hours and had no idea what he had done, so it was hard to say if he was really okay or not. "You gonna ask her out or not?"

Barry faltered and his face turned red. "Didn't you hear her? She doesn't want a boyfriend!"

"Oh, come on. Every girl wants a boyfriend. And you're not exactly to hold out on the ladies, are you, _Onii-chan_…?"

"Quit it."

"She's shoving it in your face, dude. Just act like a man for once."

"When have I ever not acted like a man? And it's none of your business who Renee dates!"

Lucas's eyes went soft. "Of course it is. You keep counting me out, Barry, quit doing that. I'm in love with her too, you know."

Barry gulped. "I never said I was in love with her. Nor has Disu or…any other guy."

"By 'any other guy,' I assume you mean Kikuchi?"

"Shut it! The point is…I'm pretty sure you're the only one here who's in love. None of us had ever admitted to that. Who's Kikuchi, anyway? His name is Ducky."

"You may as well," Lucas continued, looking away and still full of emotion. "It's obvious. Written all over your face. And it's obvious you're probably going to end up with her, too."

Barry's face turned red and he suddenly couldn't look at Lucas. "…Huh…I dunno 'bout that…"

"It's fine. I'm not hurt or anything."

But it was clear as crystal that he _was _hurt. More hurt than Barry had ever seen a man get.

"S-So…Where are we going next?"

"What say you?"

"Um…What is there to do in the Reverse World? Go pick up some chicks or something…?"

"I was hoping you'd say something about Deoxys, actually."

Barry's dreams instantly flooded back into his memory. "Really…So you wanted to look for Deoxys?"

"Yeah."

"…Why?"

Lucas scratched the back of his head, staring at the floor. "Think about it."

Barry frowned at yet another test of wit. "Um…Well…"

"Go over the current situation. Start from the beginning."

Barry thought about it. It was the first time he had gone over the situation they were in. It somehow made even less and less sense the more he went over it.

It all started when Barry and Renee went to go look for the Red Gyarados. They met Lucas, who warned them to stop. But they went anyway, because Barry was too awesome for him. There they met Team Galactic, who was trying to do something with the lake…They still didn't know what. Mystery #1. They fought using Lucas's Pokemon, which later became there's. They lost because that one Commander guy was a dirty cheater. Saturn, was it…? Mystery #2. Lucas helped Renee's injured Pokemon, and they met Disu, who seemed to show up out of thin air. Renee got mad at Barry for trying to walk away, and told him to freeze. Disu used some weird power on him and Barry froze in ice. Mystery #3. Renee, Lucas, and Disu went to visit Barry. Disu disappeared by being carried away by some weird…erm…Well, they still didn't know what. No one had actually seen it. But…they decided to search for him, no matter how painfully suspicious he was. Mystery #4.

They all entered the Jubilife Contest thanks to Renee's constant complaining. They met Vanilla, who forced every other thought about every other topic out of Barry's brain. But thanks to her, Renee drove Barry's mind to the point of explosion by dressing him up in humiliating clothes. And then, Renee went off on her own. So did Barry, but all he did was get a Poketch. He was home by eleven, just like Renee had said to. He made a point of listening to her, thinking it would make her happy. But Renee showed up last, clearly upset about something that wasn't explained to Barry. The next morning, he realized that Renee caught a Pokemon and left it. The Pokeball was delivered by Vanilla, who once again drove the thoughts in Barry's mind to the point of extinction. The contest started, and both Barry and Renee were going to be accepted into the finals. But the celebration wouldn't last long.

Barry and Lucas fought with each other. There was no clear winner, but since Barry was the one who had shown the most weakness, he guessed that he lost. But then again, Renee took his side _because _he was a big baby. Renee was usually so small and quiet, but she really could act like a big sister sometimes, yet only when Barry wasn't acting like the big brother. That was the way they shared emotions. Barry was usually the strong one and Renee was the weak one. But whenever Barry faltered, Renee all of a sudden became stronger. And when Renee decided to act strong, Barry suddenly got weaker. So there was always a big brother in their relationship. Renee made it to the finals. So did Barry. And they both met Kikuchi, who had to battle Renee in the finals. Barry could only think about how sad she'll be when she loses. Renee started to battle him, and…_Bam_.

The world kinda went blank. And they woke up in a strange place. The Reverse World, which was where they were now. Mystery #5. And Disu showed up out of nowhere. Completely out of nowhere. Mystery #6. They asked him questions, but he responded by running away, and Renee ran after him. Disu was in a building that had somehow been flipped upside down. They still don't know how. Mystery #7. But Renee tried to save him. And Lucas and Barry eventually chased after her, only to find them sitting together and discussing something. Barry and Lucas tried to leave, but Barry all of a sudden felt too sick to move.

Lucas had a dream about Renee's grandmother dying. Disu said they could go to the real world to check on her, and somehow transported them there. They still had no clue as to how he did it. But somehow it worked. Mystery #...Um…Whatever. They broke the door down, which was pretty darn unforgettable. And they found a letter on the ground. Here's what the letter said:

_Dear my sweet Renee,_

_You have no idea how much I miss you. And Barry's mother misses him as well. I don't know where you are at the moment, but wherever it is, I hope it's beautiful. It's a bit plain at home, especially when I'm alone. I've told you stories about when I was a Pokemon trainer, right? I defeated the current League Champion. But I retired when I was defeated years later by a trainer named Cynthia. She's the Champion right now, so if you defeat eight gyms, you'll challenge her. I wish you luck! Since I am no longer a trainer, I like to pretend I am where you are right now as I sit here on my own. So, wherever you are now is my final resting place. Please don't cry, because you'll cause your friends trouble if you do. But I feel my heart getting slower and my breathing getting faster. I'm sorry about my handwriting, for I am rather panicky at the moment. I can't help but wonder if you see Death when you die. If I do, I will tell him all about your wonderful friends and adventures and that you're a beautiful girl who has never done wrong and deserves to go to Heaven. Barry too, and all your other friends. I hope you find that boy with the black hair. Best of luck, and I love you too much to put in this letter._

_Andree Harmony_

Renee cried like crazy when she read it, and no one could calm her down. Except for Barry. Because they knew each other. He knew her better than anyone else when it came to Renee. And, yeah…We all know what happened after that. Renee and Barry kinda…Yeah. And Disu really hated that. He went psycho and tried to kill everything. And they still don't know how. Mystery…Forget it.

Next, somehow the Reverse and real world simply combined. And, once again…They had no idea how it happened. A lot of things seem to happen that went unexplained, but maybe they would get explained later…

"…What was the question again?" Barry asked weakly.

"Why do I want to chase after Deoxys?"

"Because…Deoxys made our life a living hell?"

"Because Deoxys left us a riddle of sorts."

"Huh?"

"You freezing, Disu being abducted…Don't you think it's all connected?"

"…Yeah…I guess so…"

"Well, there you go. No one challenges my superior intellect and gets away with it."

"Aww…I thought it would have something to do with friendship or something…"

"Nope. Not now, not ever."

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

"Disu," Renee asked as if she were speaking to a child. "Where did he take you?"

"He?" Barry echoed.

"The alien, idiot," Lucas scoffed.

"Oh. Well, Disu obviously doesn't remember!" Barry objected.

"We won't get anywhere standing here, so we may as well try and get some lead on where Deoxys is!"

"Shut up! Disu wouldn't know!"

"Veilstone City."

"…Eh?"

"Veilstone City," Disu repeated.

"…Damn."

"There you go!" Renee said happily. "Off to Veilstone!"

"Tell me we get a montage," Barry begged. "Please, tell me we get a montage!"

"A montage? Why do we need…?"

"Too much walking!" Barry whined. "I'm tired and I don't want to put up with you guys, and…Too much stuff! My brain hurts!"

Lucas gave Barry an incredulous look, as he had just realized that height didn't matter after all.

Renee frowned and pulled out Buneary's Pokeball. "But…We were gonna travel together…You can't quit now…"

"Who said anything about quitting?" Barry demanded. "What we need is a really big Pokemon that we can ride to Veilstone. Or a big bird…"

"Evolve Starly into something better, Mr. Pokemon Master," Lucas offered.

"Oh, excuse me, why don't you evolve your Bidoof if you're so skilled?"

"That wouldn't help at all. Even if I did evolve Bidoof, it wouldn't be able to carry any of us."

"Well…Well…You're still short!"

"I wish we could move faster, too," Renee said sadly. "This probably seems like the time to be positive, but I really hate this. I want to go home. If it were up to me, I never would've taken a Pokemon in the first place. I'd just go on living at my own home…"

"Without me," Barry reminded her.

"So what?" Lucas asked, unsure of how that would make a difference to anyone. Life would be the same with or without the class clown.

"So, she'll get the crap beaten out of her daily. Do you know how many enemies we have? I once fought three third graders off her…"

"Third graders," Lucas repeated. "Thank goodness you were there to stop them."

"Shut up! We were in kinder, so they were twice her size. It _was _a bit impressive for such a small kid, you have to admit!"

"But Barry was always the one causing the trouble," Renee added lightheartedly. "He would always steal something or insult someone, and then offer to fight them in the name of self-defense. He was the biggest jerk of the school, and I was his best friend, so everyone used to pair me up with him and blame me for it."

"So I had to fight even more," Barry said proudly.

"In other words, you fought for fun."

"Maybe I did. Life isn't as interesting without battles, and if I don't have Pokemon, beating up those little twerps is the next best thing."

"…Disu does not understand," Disu said, giving Renee a questioning look.

"Haven't you ever been in a fight, kid?" Barry laughed. "The thrill of conflict, the feel of bone beneath your knuckles…You should try it one day."

"Don't call him 'kid'," Lucas warned. "He's older than you. And don't pick a fight with the guy who nearly killed you twice."

"Disu, don't fight! Okay?" Renee warned.

Disu grinned. "Order received. Disu shall never fight."

"Creep…"

"From Jubilife, we first have to go to Oreburgh…Then Eterna, Celestic, and continue until we reach Veilstone."

"But…But…My journey has to last longer than that!" Barry complained.

"None of the Gyms are functioning, so it doesn't matter. Besides, once this is all resolved, you can go and have your fun. So, do we have everything we need?" Lucas asked. "Any last requests?"

Renee raised her hand. "Um…A portable shower."

"Yeah!" Barry agreed. Disu blinked in confusion, thinking of meteor showers. He also agreed.

"I already said no. We don't have the money."

"But…But…"

"No and that's final. Besides, Barry, you're just being a pervert! Renee, I'm afraid that it would only cause trouble with these two."

"What's wrong with Disu…?" Renee asked softly, hugging her oblivious friend.

"The answer is no."

"Awww…"

"Okay. We're off!" Lucas announced. Barry gave a resounding cheer, and Disu offered a crooked smile. Renee wondered once again what he was thinking about. Alien or not, he was still strange, and who knows? It could all be a stupid joke. They could show up in Veilstone and Disu could say "Just kidding!". How could he know anything about his kidnapper? If it had taken him to Veilstone, why was he back in Jubilife? Who was Disu and what was his story? Hopefully, on the journey there, they would have their questions answered.

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

"Okay!" Renee cheered. "Buneary, are you ready?" Buneary repeated its name in response, leaning from paw to paw cutely.

"Right! Starly, this is it! You've got this battle won!" Barry encouraged. Starly chirped its agreement. "We get the first attack because we're awesome! Starly, Quick Attack!"

"Buneary, use Bounce!"

All at once, Starly shot forward with sound-like speed, and Buneary projected itself into the air. Starly curved upwards, gliding on the wind, straight towards the trapped Pokemon. Careful to avoid its opponent's beak, Buneary gave an offensive kick to Starly's forehead, yet still took the remnants of Quick Attack. Buneary was thrown upwards as Starly was bounced downwards. Starly hit the ground with a thud while Buneary was left to falter in the air, struggling to evolve wings.

Renee gasped. "C-Calm down! Okay, face the ground and use Dizzy Punch!"

"Starly, get up and use Peck!"

Starly heaved itself to standing position and looked to the sky to see the cream-colored fur balls headed straight for it. Its beak started to glow white as Buneary came crashing down on top of him. Neither attack seemed to take much effect due to the fluffiness of Buneary's ears, so Buneary bounced backwards with a surprising amount of flexibleness and landed, finally, on solid ground. Starly started to teeter back and forth, unable to stand straight up or take flight.

"What's up with Starly?" Renee asked, worried for Barry's Pokemon.

"You don't know the effects of your own Pokemon's moves?" Barry said with amazement.

"When a Pokemon is hit by a move like Dizzy Punch," Lucas informed her. "It can become Confused and sometimes hit itself instead of its intended target."

"So Pokemon moves can even have an effect like that…" Renee said quietly, growing excited. "There's so much I don't know. Let's teach that Barry for yelling at me, Buneary! Use Charm!"

Buneary smirked girlishly and spun around, blowing a kiss that formed solid pink bouncing hearts that nearly suffocated a still-Confused Starly.

Barry blushed. "The hell? You fight like a girl!

Renee giggled inanely at his boyishness and stuck out her tongue. "Nuh-uh! I've got you right where I want you! So _nyeh_!"

"Yeah-huh! You do _so _fight like a girl! So _nyeh_!" Barry stuck out his tongue as well.

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

"_Do not_!"

"_Do too_!"

"Oh my goodness," Lucas said as the battle continued, addressing Disu, whose mind was somewhere else. "They bicker like schoolchildren."

Disu looked up. "Does Lucas fight as well?"

"U-Uh, not in the way you're thinking of," Lucas laughed sheepishly, cursing Barry in his mind. "But I fight with Pokemon in a non-violent way. Besides, I could never hurt anyone."

"But Lucas hurt Barry," Disu reminded him.

Lucas's courtesy smile faded. "How…How did you know we fought? No one ever told you about that…"

"Lucas should not lie anymore," Disu advised. "Also, Lucas should not stick his nose where it is not welcome. Master can get violent when she is angry, so it is best if Lucas follows her rules and does not question her. Does Lucas understand?"

Lucas scratched his head. "You're a strange kid, has anyone ever told you that?"

Disu smiled. "Disu is no kid. Lucas has said so himself."

"Starly! Use Arial Ace!"

Starly, without giving Renee any time to react, lunged forward and scratched Buneary's chest. Buneary shouted its name out in pain.

"Eek! Buneary, no! Stop it, you bully!" Renee cried.

"Bully? It's a Pokemon battle, now get up and strike back! Or else I'll do it again!"

"Nooooo! Stop! Don't you dare!"

"Starly," Barry commanded without much effort. "Hold Buneary's arm behind its back."

Lucas raised an eyebrow. "Well, since Barry seems to have lost interest, this battle seems to be about over…"

Renee cried out in terror as Starly used its feet to pin Buneary down. Buneary called out in pain as her shoulder was bent.

Barry laughed in amusement. "Say uncle, Renee!"

"Oooooh, I just hate people like you!"

"Say uncle and I'll stop!" he taunted.

"Okay, okay, I give!"

Starly released a sobbing Buneary, who ran to her trainer in tears. Renee picked her up and cradled her in her arms. "It's okay, the scary blonde boy won't hurt you anymore…" she reassured.

Barry crept up on Buneary and jumped with arms spread wide, trying to look as big and threatening as possible. "_RAWR_!"

Buneary screamed in fright as Renee shielded her, yet she was giggling to herself. "That was fun," Renee commented. "Let's do it again sometime."

"What, lose to me?" Barry teased, poking her forehead. "Any time you want."

"No way! I'll train and beat you next time."

"In your girly dreams!"

Lucas stood up and clapped. "I'm glad you've finally gotten the hang of this, Renee."

"Hey, what about me? I won!" Barry whined, watery-eyed. "Don't you love me too, Lucas…?"

Lucas sighed. "Sure. I love you too."

"Well, that's a tad creepy, because I hate your guts."

"Buneary did a good job, not me!" Renee said, hugging her Pokemon. Buneary wiped the remaining tears from her eyes and hugged Renee back, cooing her name affectionately. "Disu, Disu, did I do good?" Disu smiled indifferently, looking for something else to distract him. Lucas gulped, staring straight at the boy. He knew way too much. Someone must be spying on them, and the reason for this could never be good.

Eventually, when the sun sunk into the horizon, Lucas started a campfire and Barry immediately searched for the most offensive thing to say to the other two males of the group.

"Lucas sure does do some girly things, doesn't he? I'm suspicious…"

"You're suspicious of everything," Lucas reminded him, cross-armed.

"I'm suspicious if I know that something's up, and boys should never be better in the kitchen than girls."

"Don't be sexist," Renee interjected. "You come up with the longest speeches in the world that sometimes have nothing to do with anything. Boys can be sensitive just like girls, so boys can definitely do something as simple as cooking!"

"I can't cook and I'm a boy!"

"That doesn't mean you're a boy, it means you've never opened a book."

The three continued to argue until Renee got a call on her cell phone. Curious as to how it had been working in a different dimension, she sprung into action to answer it. The number seemed vaguely familiar, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

"Hello?"

The voice that responded seemed mindless, ignorant, and bored. It spoke with a flare of unknowing that made Renee instantly choke back tears with familiarity. The voice was a lot of things, but it was definitely not sane. And it wasn't talking to her, either. It only existed in the one space it was in, as the voice didn't care for the distance between them.

"All right, I've got her on the line. Now just what do I do?"

Renee gasped in surprise. "Is that you?"

"Ah, she sounds like she's about to have a heart attack. Now, answer me, woman! What's this child expecting me to say?"

Renee hugged her knees, beginning to cry. "Mother, Mother! It's me, it's Renee! It's your daughter! Where are you? The hospital, or home? Mother, are you hurt?"

Barry's eyes grew huge as he stared at her, looking as if he wanted to snatch the phone out of her hands. Lucas bit his thumb timidly, and even Disu had to watch to see what would happen. They hadn't seen each other in years, and over that time, her mother had lost her mind. How would the conversation turn out?

"Oh please, child, your voice is way too high-pitched and you're practically screaming. Calm yourself before you harm those little lungs."

"Mother, please answer me! Where are you now?"

"Lordy, I know I shouldn't be sharing my problems with a small child, but - you won't believe this, honey! They took me away from my nice white room with all those people to take care of me - And you know where they put me? Some old run down house, all by myself! And to think, when I could barely walk…If you ask me, that brain dead nurse is happy to get rid of me - Don't you look at me like that, you know full well you got sick of this poor old woman!"

"…Child? Mother, why are you speaking like that? What's wrong, Mother? You sound different…"

"Oh, you want to know the story, deary? Of what happened in that place? Well, I can't remember entirely, and I shouldn't be clouding your head with strange ideas-"

"Please tell me, Mother! I deserve to know what happened to you!" Renee pleaded, wiping away tears. "I'm your daughter, Mother, don't you remember me?"

Barry hastily stood up and sat back down next to Renee, placing an arm around her, murmuring words of encouragement. Disu and Lucas exchanged glances with each other before returning their full attention to the half of the conversation they could hear.

"Goodness, remember you? I'm fairly certain I've never met you in my life. The nurse comes up to me - like she does every day, except she didn't have food this time - and she hands me a phone and tells me that I need to talk to Renee. Who the hell is Renee, I ask? I've never heard such a name. It's foreign, isn't it? I don't remember ever leaving the country. So, would you be Renee, girl?"

"Yes!" Renee said desperately. "Yes, I'm Renee, and I'm your daughter!"

"Just why do I have to talk to you? I tell you, I may be wasting my time in this place, but I could at least be doing something the least bit productive."

"Because something horrible happened to you! And please tell me what happened!"

"Okay, okay, hold your horses there. We were researching Deoxys, see? We wanted to create a Pokemon called Deoxys using…ah…Well, like I said, I don't remember all the details. But the final operation was finally underway, when _bam_. Everything went wrong and we were all sent flying. I broke both of my legs, you hear me? Both of them!"

"You did? Seriously?"

"The energy that was supposed to become Deoxys warped into a boy. Just a little boy! He killed three people and broke both of my legs, just the boy all alone!"

"A boy? A boy did all that? What did he look like?"

"Listen closely, Missy, because I hate to repeat myself. He had neat jet black hair, see? Even though he had just been in an explosion, his hair was simply perfect. You should consider yourself lucky to meet a child as good-looking as that one, girl."

Renee nodded, feeling a sinking feeling in her stomach. She didn't like where this was going. "Yes, got it. Jet black hair."

"And his eyes were green. Not regular green - Have you ever bit into a mint chocolate and saw the color on the inside? Green like that. Hm…I want chocolate now. It's a very refreshing color to go along with a very refreshing taste, is it not? Have you ever drank ice water after eating a mint?"

"Yes, yes, I understand! Please go on!"

"And glasses. Yes, he had glasses. The glint made it sort of difficult to get a good look at his face, but his eyes were glowing. Let's see…"

"What was he wearing?"

"Nothing!" she cackled. "Deoxys changed into a human, but just a human. No clothes! Au naturale! But don't let your mind linger on that too much, child!"

Too late. Renee's face went bright red. "A-Anything else I should know?"

"He knocked us out by placing his hands over our h- Hold on, lady, I wasn't finished with that! Kindly fork over the cake right now! …Over our heads. That would be all there is to it. Now, may I go back to bed?"

Renee wiped away the remnants of her tears. "A-All right…But please call me again soon. Mother, I love you so much."

"Hrrmmmm…Have fun with that."

There was a small click on the other line that made Renee shutter. Barry immediately stood up and proclaimed, "I'll kill her for saying that crap! Let me at her, Renee, you don't need anyone like her!" Lucas and Disu flinched simultaneously, griping each other's arms for support.

Renee shook her head. "No, Barry, she's my mother, even if she doesn't remember me. And she, err…She told me all she remembers."

"What does she remember?" Lucas asked.

"Sh-She said…Deoxys did that to her."

Barry proudly pumped his fist into the air in celebration. "_WHATNOW_! My dream was true! I'm not crazy! Lucas said I'm insane, but I'm not! I must be a chosen one or something!"

"And she told me that once it was over, Deoxys transformed into a boy…She described the boy, and…"

Disu, for once, wasn't distracted by his surroundings.

"…He had black hair, green eyes, and glasses."

"Black hair?" Barry echoed, his eyes itching to look at Disu. "Suspicious."

Lucas smiled. "Done and done. We know who it is now. Or at least we have our number one suspect."

"Who?" Renee asked, honestly clueless.

"Don't pretend you don't know. Who's the only person we know with glasses?"

Barry frowned, and Renee gave a small moan, as if she had a headache.

"K-"

"Ducky!" Barry interjected. Lucas raised an eyebrow, and Disu smiled with amusement. "What? That's the nickname I gave him. So pretty boy is the culprit, huh…?"

"We can't say that for sure," Lucas reminded him. "He's not the only person in the world who wears glasses or has black hair."

"We should investigate him, then," Renee decided. "And the laws of my luck say that he'll go wherever we go. So we continue to Veilstone in hopes that he'll return there."

"Now we know why Disu hates him!" Barry realized. "Because he abducted him! Right, Disu?"

Disu seemed to happy to respond. He was hiding his smile behind his hands and giggling with delight. Renee leaned closer to him and looked him straight in the eyes.

"Disu, why do you hate Kikuchi so much? He's not a bad guy."

Disu hesitated. "Um…Kikuchi Sakura is a slut and a whore and Disu dislikes him very much."

Renee slipped in surprise and fell to the floor. "Where did you learn those words?" she demanded after lifting herself from the ground. Barry couldn't hold in his laughter anymore, making Renee give him a sharp look. "Of all the things to teach him!"

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

Renee was awoken somewhere around three in the morning by a sharp bang from the distance. The boys were still sound asleep, and Renee hated to wake them, but she slowly started to panic and her eyes began to play tricks on her. Disu's sleeping bag was empty, but he couldn't have run off yet again, could he? Fearful, she shook Lucas awake as lightly as she could. He opened one eye and struggled to sit up.

"…What…?"

She kept her voice down, even though she had to wake Barry as well. "I-I'm sorry, but…but…I heard a bang from somewhere, and Disu isn't in his bed…I'm scared!"

Lucas rubbed his eyes, not yet fully awake. "That's nice. What time is it?"

"Didn't you hear me? It could've been a gun, or a grenade…Someone could be in trouble, and Disu might be involved!"

Lucas blinked the sleep out of his eyes. "Get Barry up. He's the…" He paused to yawn. "…the strongest out of all of us."

Renee began to shiver slightly as she glanced over to Barry, who was on his side, clearly dead to the world and drooling slightly. She grabbed his shoulder and shook it weakly, but to no avail. Lucas rolled his eyes, signing for her to try harder. Renee bit her lip and continued until Barry half-opened his eyes.

"Wake up! I think Disu is in trouble. I heard a scary sound and he wasn't in his bed…"

Barry groaned with displeasure. "Don't wanna…Don't care…"

"But what if something's on fire?"

"Get Lucas to do it. Or Disu."

"You haven't been listening at all!"

Barry simply withdrew further into his sleeping bag and a low snoring sound soon drifted from his direction. Renee gave up and brought herself to her feet. "Okay, then I'll just go by myself! Have fun while I probably die all alone! You too, Lucas! May as well just stay here and sleep while I probably get mortally wounded or burn to death!"

"Okay. Probably not." Lucas collapsed back to the ground, his eyes shut tightly. "Go enjoy yourself."

Renee grunted in frustration, grabbing her Pokeballs and stomping off in the direction she had heard the sound. It didn't take her long before she smelled smoke, and realized: _Oh crap. I'm useless. I don't stand a chance against anything it could be. I'm such an idiot._

As she made it to her destination, she was blasted with a wave of fiery wind and fell backwards in surprise with a yelp. The fire was at least thirty times her size and towered over the huge pine trees that surrounded the small clearing. Renee panicked, but the fire was completely controlled. A redhead boy with blazing green eyes turned towards her at an uncomfortably close distance from the huge flaming death in front of him. She gasped, recognizing him right away.

"Richmond?"

"Princess?" the boy said in a raspy voice.

He came closer to hold out his hand to her, but Renee lifted herself off the ground and brushed dust and ashes off of her skirt doggedly. He gave her a sideways grin, revealing several missing or broken teeth.

"Didn't expect to find such a familiar damsel in such a dangerous place. Cross-dimensional sightseeing?"

"Quit it with that 'damsel'…stuff!" she snapped, unable to find a dirty word that she could use in good conscience. "I came here because I wanted to. That's all!"

"Only about you, just like a princess," Richmond said with poison in his voice. "You're not smart enough to make it here, so you may as well tell me who you slept with to somehow end up in another dimension."

"Who I sl- I hate you! I _am _in fact smart enough, and even if I'm not a genius, a straight-D student like you shouldn't be calling me dumb!"

He ran his blackened fingers through his blood-red hair (which obviously wasn't natural, because his eyebrows were thick and black) which stuck almost straight up, as if he had been caught in an explosion. Ashes were scattered over his skin and he was bruised and scarred almost everywhere. Renee could have gone off on a million subjects with this particular person, but another giant explosion from near the two of them left her with nothing else to do but scream and cower before him. Richmond simply rolled his eyes.

With lightning speed, Barry showed up at the scene with Lucas a way's behind him, panting and sweating and wondering how in the world he had kept up with his blonde friend. "Renee! What the hell was that noise?"

Renee shook with fear. "Oh, so _now _you're awake! Disu's gone, and even worse, Richmond is here!"

Barry cocked an eyebrow and smiled. "Ashy! What's Ashy doing here?"

"Your Highness," Richmond greeted, bowing. Barry snickered.

"Who's…Who's th…Who's this?" Lucas gasped in between large intakes of heated oxygen.

"Ashton Richmond," Barry introduced. "Your Highness's legal council's most wanted number one. In other words, a giant douchebag."

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

**Me- So, he seems like a jerk, but he's kinda right…Renee's a total self-absorbed princess…**

**Richmond- See there? Furyfur likes me more than you, Barry.**

**Barry- Blasphemy! That's completely impossible!**

**Me- =giggling like a five-year-old girl= His name is Richmond because I named a bunch of other characters Richie! I figured I couldn't get away with doing it again, so your name is Ashton and I took around three seconds to come up with that name! Whereas every other OC in this story took me at least a week!**

**Renee- This must be a big step for a FanFiction writer. Finally coming up with a pyromaniac character.**

**Richmond- Pyro**_**technic**_**.**

**Me- Before any of you freak out about how I'm not updating anything good, I'll tell you that I spent my entire week at DC trying to come up with the finishing touches! In my head, at least…So I had to finish at least one chapter when I got back! So there! I promise, I won't procrastinate anymore…=sniff= R&R if you love me? ~Furyfur **


	12. Unstable Anger

**Deoxys Hunter Squad**

**A/N: Me- Yay! Now we finally get to learn who Richmond is!**

**Richmond- =shrugs= I'm, uh…**

**Barry- A douchebag.**

**Richmond- Who's the douchebag, douchebag?**

**Barry- You are a bag of douche!**

**Me- Stop developing his character, that's my job!**

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

"Ashton Richmond," Barry introduced. "Your Highness's legal council's most wanted number one. In other words, a giant douchebag."

"Wha? You cling to the past too much!" Richmond snarled, his finger prodding Barry's cheek as he put his arm around his shoulders. Barry whined in protest and tried to fight away.

"I understand that, but just who is he?" Lucas asked, finding the scene in front of him slightly amusing.

"He's just what Barry said!" Renee said pointedly, staring at the ground. "A big jerk! He goes to school with us, and he gets into fights with Barry way too often! But Barry always crushes him, which is entertaining…He still calls me bad names every day…"

"So he's a bully?"

"Well, technically, Barry's the bully…But Richmond is a very bad person!"

"You look kinda run down," Barry noted, running his eyes up and down their classmate's body. "Been rolling around in a crime scene again?"

"That was one time, and it wasn't funny because I was in juvenile detention for three weeks."

Lucas snorted. "I like this guy!"

"What? But he's evil!" Renee snapped.

Richmond pointed to his arm, indicating his blackened skin. "I got like this doing what I love."

"You always were a pyromaniac."

"Pyro_technic_," he corrected. "Or just pyro would be fine. Either way, I make stuff explode and people pay me for it. My card." He reached into a dusty pocket and pulled out a slip of paper so stained and burned that it was almost illegible. Lucas took it and eyed it with doubt, but it seemed strangely legit.

"You do this for a living? You're ten!"

"I'm a professional," Richmond boasted. "My work has been in tons of movies."

"Tons of movies we've never heard of," Barry commented in a hushed voice.

"For your information, ol' buddy ol' pal, that happens to be because you see sunlight through your closed window and need to get out more."

"I really like this guy," Lucas commented, dumbfounded at Richmond's straightforwardness.

"Well, looks like Princess found herself a friend with good tastes!" Richmond cheered, putting an arm around Lucas. "How did you manage, Princess, being holed up in your house with your boring grandmother your whole life?"

"My grandmother is…My grandmother is…" Renee stuttered. "D-Don't call me Princess!"

"Hey, Renee, where's Disu?" Barry asked, easily skimming over the subject they would not care to linger on.

Renee shouted to the sky, exploding with anger. Richmond's smile disappeared from his face without a trace. He suddenly stared at Barry with intense surprise. "I told you, idiot, he disappeared! I woke up and he was gone!"

Barry murmured a few cuss words. "Again? We can't keep the kid under control…"

"Who's Disu?" Richmond asked in a rather demanding voice. "It's urgent. Hurry up and tell me."

Renee pouted and turned away. "Well, if you need to know that badly, we're not telling you!"

"You brat, tell me who he is!"

"No! I don't want to!"

"He's some guy," Barry said, casting Renee a glare. "Our friend, I guess. He's sorta weird."

"Weird how?" Richmond inquired, speeding up his voice.

"Why do you need to know? Have you met him?"

"I, uh…can't say I have. Hell, I can be pretty sure I've never heard of someone by the name of Disu…What kind of name is that? I've never had a taste for foreigners." Richmond laughed to himself in a slithering tone, similar to a snake.

"Oh, please…" Renee whispered to herself, tears beginning to form in her eyes. Barry noticed and scratched his head.

"He's got black hair and brown eyes, chants his name like a freakin' bird, and he's deaf. Plus he's a slave to Renee, but I guess that isn't really relevant. For now, at least."

Renee wiped her eyes, sniffing and cursing them in her thoughts, when she noticed that Richmond was beginning to sweat. The ash made it seem as if the thick drops sliding down his temple were solid black.

"Richmond, you're sweating demon blood," she pointed out.

"Saywhatnow?"

Barry burst into laughter, high-fiving Renee, who put her hands on her hips as her confidence shot up. "You might be a princess, but you're still pretty awesome!"

"But it _is _hot here," Lucas considered. "I'm sweating too. Let's go somewhere else."

"And leave this fire going?" Richmond said, pointing to the piece of Hell behind him. "This beauty took me half an hour to start."

"And cost me five hours of sleep," Barry complained. "I'm honestly impressed, though. What more should I expect from the kid who brings gunpowder to school and makes makeshift dynamite in art class?"

Richmond gave the rock wall protecting the tornado of fire from the rest of the surroundings a lazy glance before declaring that it was 'safe enough' and leading the other three to a less humid area. "Well, I make a habit of myself to never go anywhere without a lighter."

"But didn't you fly to Spain a year or two ago?"

"Yeah, that must've been fun to watch…"

Even as the air cooled down to the chill of the morning mist, Renee realized that Richmond was still sweating and looking restless. She wondered if he had gotten any sleep at all and what reason he had for being awake so early, not to mention spending all that time on a giant fire that didn't seem to have much of a purpose. He wasn't looking at her now, not that she expected him to be happy to see her. He stared at the ground as if it was his intent to burn a hole in it with his eyes.

"Do you guys plan to look for your friend?"

"He must've gotten impatient," Renee thought aloud. "We were going to Veilstone" - Richmond gave an extremely noticeable double-take - "to find another friend of ours, which he really hated. Turns out he did some bad things, so Disu got all excited when we told him that he was the bad guy from now on."

"V-Veilstone…" Richmond echoed to himself. "That's, uh…the same direction I'm going…"

"Really?" Lucas said suddenly. "Where are you going?"

"…Oreburgh…"

"Interesting. Shall we go together?"

Richmond grinned to hide his embarrassment. "Dude, I don't even know your name."

"Oops!" Lucas gasped. "I completely forgot! I'm Lucas!"

"Don't let him come with us!" Renee pleaded, grabbing Barry's sleeve. "He's just a dirty, annoying boy!"

"Oh please, Princess, I don't even want to, so don't worry about me getting in your way."

"It means one more person to help us look for Disu," Lucas explained. "And despite all the training we've been doing, we can't be sure we can handle anything thrown at us. We need all the help we can get."

"We? Training?" Richmond echoed. "You guys are trainers?"

"We just recently became trainers," Lucas said shyly, scratching his head. "I'm not strong at all, so it's nothing to brag about…"

"I'm the strongest of all of us! And the tallest!" Barry said proudly, pointing his thumb at himself.

"I'm training as hard as I can. I think I'm getting better!" Renee added.

"Whoa there! _Renee_? A trainer? No way in heck."

"Yes way in heck!"

"Well, I'm a trainer, too," Richmond said, reaching into his back pocket and displaying a shiny Pokeball proudly. "Shall we, Princess?"

"Shall we what?"

"Shall we _battle_, idiot. Three on three. And just to make it a bit more interesting…How about if I win, you become my slave for a week or two?" Before Renee could refuse, Barry refused for her with a kick to Richmond's shin. Richmond laughed, shoving a fuming Barry out of his line of vision. "Is that a no? I knew you weren't good enough."

"No to a stupid bet like that!" Barry barked while brushing off his shirt, slightly offended.

"I'll do it!" Renee declared, knocking Barry flat on his face with those three words alone.

"What?"

"…What?"

"Seriously?"

"Yes, seriously, I can battle and Barry knows it! So I'll take that bet 'cuz I know I'm gonna beat you, Richmond!"

Richmond was stunned for a second, but he recovered and tossed his Pokeball to the ground. An orange turtle with a black shell popped out, steam blasting from its nostrils.

"Oh, gross. What's that?" Renee opened her Pokedex, listening for its robotic voice.

"**Torkoal, the Coal Pokémon. Torkoal burns coal within its body to produce energy. As a defense, Torkoal is able to smoke from its nostrils and its back to confuse enemies.**"

"A Fire Type? How predictable of you. Ugly, burnt, and annoying, just like you."

"And knowing you, you probably have something tiny, girly, and breakable, just like you."

Renee's face went pink as she realized he was right. "W-Well, whatever! You're wrong, and I'll show you with _this _Pokemon!"

The least feminine Pokemon she had, Koffing exploded out of its Pokeball and gazed in the direction of its enemy. Richmond gulped and wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"Ladies first, Your Highness."

"K…Koffing, use…um…Poison Gas!"

Koffing expanded to several times his size and a purple gas erupted from its craters. Richmond didn't even give his Pokemon a command, he just rubbed his forehead with the palm of his hand as if he had a headache. Torkoal exhaled, the steam from its nose blowing the poison out of the air without much effort.

"E-Eh?"

"Don't underestimate me," Richmond warned. "This battle was won before it started."

"Okay, use Smog!" Koffing this time produced much thicker gray gas this time, but Torkoal was once again able to blow it away with a single breath. "Wh-What…?"

"It's okay!" Richmond encouraged. "Try again, maybe it'll work this time!"

Renee faltered, out of ideas. In retrospect, Koffing was a choice she had made out of pride, and it was a bad one…She tried to counter a Pokemon that could blow away smoke with a Pokemon that produced smoke…She cursed herself for letting Richmond get inside her head. If he hadn't made that comment about girly Pokemon, she would've stayed calm and thought it through.

"Renee!" Lucas called from the sidelines. "Switch Pokemon! This is getting you nowhere fast!"

"I can do that?"

"Of course you can!"

"How?"

Richmond cackled with amusement, holding his attack as he waited for more ignorant questions.

"Just call Koffing back to his Pokeball and send out another Pokemon!"

"Nobody told me I could do that…" Renee muttered under her breath, searching for a different Pokeball. "All right, Koffing, return!" As Koffing retreated back into his Pokeball, Renee's fingers fumbled with the other and she dropped it in front of her, revealing her cream-colored Buneary. "Perfect! Are you ready, Buneary?" Buneary responded by repeating its name confidently at its trainer. "Use Quick Attack!"

"This should be interesting. Torkoal, use Protect."

A green sphere surrounded Torkoal, causing Buneary to fly backwards after dashing forward in a vain attempt to bash the Pokemon with its tiny body. Richmond crossed his arms, watching Buneary growing teary-eyed as it tried to lift itself up. He appeared to be deep in thought and didn't even react when the green force field lifted.

"Buneary, Dizzy Punch!"

Buneary tried to launch itself at Torkoal, crashing into its opponent with its fluffy ears. Torkoal didn't flinch when the attack landed, but as Buneary stepped backwards, it began to shake its head in frustration.

"Aw, what?"

"This sucks, Richmond, it really sucks!" Renee scolded him. "I'm trying my hardest, you know! I really am! And I want you to try your hardest too, because if you're only giving half the effort and I still lose to you, I'm gonna cry!"

"You're gonna cry anyway, dumb broad!" Richmond shouted right back at her, causing her to recoil as if she had been slapped in the face. His eyes were suddenly blazing with passion. "Your best bet is to turn around and go home! Nothing but pain and suffering and blood and tears is in your future if you keep this stupid 'try your hardest' crap up! Listen to me, idiot, go home!"

Renee's eyes started to water. "What…? But, Richmond, you can't seriously think…"

Richmond lowered his voice and looked pitifully at her, hanging his head so sweat began to drip down his nose. "Okay, I understand where you're coming from…Giving up is bad, everyone knows that. But it's also bad to run straight into a battle you could never win. That's ten times worse."

"What do you mean…?"

"Renee, listen, please. I beg of you, just listen. I've been a trainer for much longer, got it? I'm older and bigger than you."

"B-But that has nothing to do with-!"

"I get it, I get it. Just shut up and hear me out. Experience doesn't mean everything, but over that time, I could've been making deals with the devil for all you know!"

"Well, have you?"

"Don't be ridiculous…"

"If it's ridiculous, then I shouldn't be worried about it!" Renee asserted.

"Shut up, shut up, just shut up!" Richmond nearly screamed, holding his head in pain. "This universe isn't for breakable little girls! Go home!"

"If you call me breakable again, I'll break you! Buneary, use Bounce!"

Buneary sprung itself with its powerful paws into the air, towering above Torkoal's dizzied head. It delivered a spinning kick to Torkoal's head, causing it to groan its name in frustration and step backwards.

But Richmond wasn't finished. "Renee, you stupid, stupid…Just go home, okay? Why can't I drill that through your thick head? Just go home!"

Barry stood up threateningly. "Oi. Quit it with the name calling, all right?"

Renee was pretending not to hear either of them, but tears were starting to fall. "Use Quick Attack!"

Buneary rammed into Torkoal at full strength. Torkoal was able to hold its ground, but it was starting to feel the full blunt of its attacks. Torkoal looked to its trainer for commands, but none came. Lucas took off his hat and ran his fingers through his hair in a daze.

"You stay out of this, Barry, because you oughta go home too!"

"Don't try to make me laugh, Ashy, because you bring me close to puking. Shut your trap and battle her like a real man."

"I'm not trying to insult you or whatever, you really have to leave!"

"We fully intend to win every challenge we face, Ashy, including you!"

Renee started to whimper, wiping tears from her eyes. "Buneary, Tackle!"

Buneary responded pitifully to its owner before headbutting Torkoal in the neck and jumping backwards. It surveyed the target, hoping it had been forceful enough to end the battle.

"I swear I'm on your side, so believe me when I say you should go home!"

"You don't even know what our side is! And it's starting to look like you're an enemy!"

"Richmond, you coward, _battle me_!"

Lucas's head drooped. "Why is it that whenever Renee battles, it ends up a talking competition…?" he moaned. Turtwig nodded in embarrassed agreement.

After a series of close-range attacks while it's trainer was paying absolutely no attention to the fight, Torkoal hit the ground and passed out. Renee gasped, speechless.

"We're not leaving!"

"You have to leave!"

"H-Hey…Barry? Richmond?"

"Lucas, Daddy's trying to have a conversation," Barry seethed, glaring at Richmond with the combined hatred of both him and Renee. Richmond was pale beneath his scarred skin and his eyes were getting distant, as if he was struggling to give Barry his full attention.

"No, I mean…" Lucas tried to explain. He was unable to speak, however, when the two men lunged at each other as if on a silent signal, set on ripping the other's head off.

"…_I won_!" Renee cheered, getting over her temporary speech failure. Richmond froze at the sound of her cry and fell to the ground, causing Barry to halt himself. "I won! I won! I won!" She literally jumped onto Lucas, hugging the life out of him. "Lucas! I woooooooon!"

"…C…C-Can't…breathe…!"

"Barry, didja see that? Didja, didja?"

"Wha?" he responded. He was still frozen in battle stance, his legs spread apart and both his hands in tight fists. He stared bewilderedly at Richmond, who appeared to had passed out as well. "Uh…Man down?"

Renee released Lucas from her grip, still smiling from ear to ear. Lucas doubled over and started to gasp for air. "Hmmm?"

Richmond wobbled to his feet, rubbing his head. "I'm fine," he said simply.

"Did the shock of your _loss_ faze you just a bit?" Renee teased, laughing evilly. "I am the winner! The winner is me!"

"Seriously, dude, are you okay?" Barry asked, extending a hand to his rival.

He slapped Barry's hand away, causing him to recoil in surprise. "Just fine."

"Hey! Don't screw with me!" Barry grabbed the collar of Richmond's shirt and pulled his face close. "You were eating dirt just a second ago and you looked half-dead the entire battle, and you just wanna act like nothing even happened?"

"I did some training and I'm tired. Don't breathe on me."

"Bullcrap!"

"I win~! I win~!"

"Guys? Let's sit down and talk!" Lucas pleaded. "My headache is back! This is like a bad chick flick…"

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

"I wasn't lying. I really have been training my tail off since this whole Reverse World fiasco started. Honestly."

"Right," Barry said sarcastically, arms crossed. "That's why you were up all night making a pointless fire fourteen times your size. Makes perfect sense."

"I slept! I'm just an insomniac and I woke up early. And you can't stop a pro when he gets an inspiration."

"Sure, an insomniac! The kid who slept in class every day!"

"Maybe I slept in class _because _I was an insomniac. Ever thought of that, genius?"

"I'll put you in a deep sleep if you take that tone with me again!"

"…and I ask that you please end it all," Renee whispered, finishing her prayer.

"I've been stressed out," Richmond explained. "That's probably why I…did that."

Barry laughed. "You fainted. Don't deny it."

"…That's why I fainted…See, this Pokemon of mine was stolen a while ago."

"Stolen?" Lucas repeated in surprise. "Stolen by who?"

Richmond placed his elbow on his knee and glared ahead. "He sorta fit the description of your friend. The one I asked you about. With the ridiculous nickname. Except he didn't have brown eyes. They were a weird greenish color, and he had glasses."

Lucas, Barry, and Renee all glanced at each other and nodded their heads in unison. Renee looked a bit afraid.

"It happened just before the Reverse World took over. Houndour was my partner when I became a trainer, and before that he was my pet. I had just finished catching a Vulpix, when this weird dude showed up…"

"You did?" Barry interrupted. "Honestly?"

"What? You don't believe me?"

"No, I believe you, but…Never mind."

Richmond shook off Barry's doubt. "As I was saying…That creep said something about needing Houndour for something. He grabbed its Pokeball but I snatched it back and told him very politely where he could stick his ugly mug."

Renee shivered at Richmond's hostility, grasping a handkerchief in her hands. "Brr…That's…not a very nice image."

"He whipped out one of his own Pokemon and…long story short, beat the crap outta me. I couldn't even touch that guy. All he used was a puny little Aipom, too, and I couldn't even scratch it! Anyway, he made off on his merry way with my Houndour and left me there to wallow in my own self-pity. So I trained until I was exhausted from then so I could get my Pokemon back, and I suppose that getting Houndour back was the only thing on my mind, so I overdid it. But it was completely worth it to get Houndour back…Eh?"

Just as Richmond felt himself get slightly emotional, he glanced at Renee, who was weeping silently and biting her handkerchief to avoid crying out. "That's…so…saaaaaad…!" she winced, tears pouring from her eyes.

"Princess…" Richmond grabbed her hands and gazed dramatically into her eyes. "…you understand my pain?"

"Of course! I'm such a sucker for stories like that!"

"Your Highness sympathizes with me! Then you'll help me find that bastard who did this to my dear partner?"

"Absolutely!" she sobbed. "I-I-I just have to help a boy looking for his stolen dog, his best friend who he grew up with…! A-And when you reunite, when the thief is punished for his evil actions, you'll both embrace and he'll lick your face and bark with happiness, which is his own special way of telling you how much he m-missed you…!"

"Renee, have you ever seen _Because of Winn-Dixie_?"

"Yes! I have! Lots of times! I cry myself silly every time! Why…?"

"Just wondering."

"And when I find that pretty boy," Richmond continued. "I'll hit him so hard right in the kisser, it'll break his legs. That's all. Any questions?"

"That's impossible, but we don't like him either so please go for it!" Renee cheered, choking up with emotion.

Barry raised his hand. "I didn't wanna say anything earlier, because I thought you would hit me, but…Why did you catch a Vulpix?"

Richmond cocked an eyebrow. "Why not?"

"It seems sorta…girly for your taste."

Richmond pulled off his backpack and rummaged through it for a second. When he found a Pokeball, he forced it into Renee's hands. "You take it."

"Me?"

"Yeah, it's not like I caught it for a reason."

"Are you sure? I mean, you just went on and on about how much you were training…And this isn't a trick or anything?"

Richmond blushed. "I…didn't need to catch such a girly Pokemon. Trust me…You need it more than I do."

"That was an insult, but I don't even care!" Renee giggled, wiping the rest of the tears off her face. "Thank you, Richmond! What's a Vulpix, anyway?"

"A Fire-Type fox-like Pokemon. When it's born, it only has one tail, but as it grows, it splits into six tails and its body grows warmer as well. It usually acts very spoiled and it's said to sometimes play dead to escape battle," Lucas explained.

"That was all straight from memory?"

"That's not much. I also memorized its entire move set, diet, and its Pokedex entry word-for-word."

"Dork."

"Come on out, new friend!" Renee called, releasing the red fox from its Pokeball. When it appeared, it greeted its new trainer without a moment of hesitation. It had a blue bow with a pink heart behind one of its ears. Richmond's face suddenly went red and he stared at the ground. "Oh my goodness! It's so cute!"

"…Richmond," Barry said, grinning darkly.

"Shut up."

"You most certainly didn't catch it with that ribbon…"

"I said shut up."

"And even if you did, you would've taken it off…"

"Shut up now, Barry!" he snapped, raising his voice.

"Did you _plan _to give this Pokemon to Renee?" Barry teased. "Is that why you caught a Vulpix? Because you thought it'd make a nice gift? The ribbon is a nice touch, you sly dog, you!"

"I tell you I didn't! I wasn't gonna give it to anyone!"

"Oh, but then is it really okay if I have it?" Renee asked hopefully, picking up Vulpix and snuggling it.

"O-Of course, but I didn't catch it so I could-"

"And it looked like it was expecting Renee, too! Did you tell it that you were gonna give it to a loving, pretty new trainer? You probably trained it to recognize her face!"

"Do I have to kill you?"

"In any case," Lucas cut in. He has simply ignored the topic at hand and was now hand feeding Pokemon food to Turtwig. "Richmond should join us if we're both after the same person. Or if he's only going to Oreburgh, we can drop him off there."

Richmond stood up, looking serious. "I thought I told you to go back."

"Don't be silly! It's obvious that these two will never give up when it comes to Sakura," Lucas laughed.

"How many times do I have to tell you? Don't mention his name," Barry warned. Renee blushed and twiddled her fingers. Vulpix noticed her unease and nudged her cheek with its nose.

"The point is, we share a common enemy. If we take you along, there's no doubt in my mind that we can-…"

"All three of us combined couldn't take that guy!" Richmond interrupted sharply. "Believe me, I battled him with my strongest Pokemon and he creamed me!"

"Yes, but don't forget that you just battled Renee and lost."

Barry cracked up so hard at Lucas's comment that tears began to leak from his eyes and he clutched his stomach in pain. Renee tried to calm him, but she only ended up snickering along with him.

Richmond looked for a second like he was going to yell at them, but he gave up and ignored the two. "Fine, for the sake of the argument, let's just say I followed you along and we defeated glasses boy! What do we do once we've won?"

"Let's take a vote," Lucas offered. "Let's see…Consider all our options…No unnecessary violence…"

"I say we kill him!" Barry snickered, wiping his eyes with the back of his hand.

"Seconded."

"Absolutely not!" Renee objected. "That's unforgivable! Sure, he's a thief and he's definitely not a good person, but…I couldn't watch someone die! That's horrible! None of us are murderers!"

"Say that again," Richmond said with a crooked grin. "And take a good look around you."

"…Okay, _most _of us aren't murderers, and even if one of us is totally capable of murder…I still refuse! Even if he's evil, even if he hurt my mother…I demand that we get through this without a single death!"

Barry glanced in her direction, smiling. "You're only saying that 'cuz you _like _him."

Richmond frowned and looked slightly surprised. He expected Renee to deny it right away, but instead she stood up and looked Barry in the eye, shivering slightly but still looking determined. Vulpix stared up at her from her arms, confused at the sudden movement.

"Kikuchi Sakura is, as far as I know, the most good-looking and thorough lover I could possibly hope for!"

Barry leaned so far backwards that he fell onto his head in surprise. Lucas choked awkwardly as if something were lodged in his throat. Richmond's eyes darkened with disgust and his eye started to twitch.

"Barry, quit it with the comedy falling. Nobody's laughing."

"Hey, if we had an audience, they'd be cracking up right now," Barry laughed awkwardly, rubbing his head. "I imagined what you just said, right…?"

"Of course not!" Renee clarified angrily. "So you can stop teasing me, because Mr. Sakura is perfect!"

"'Mr. Sakura'? You talk about him like he's already sleeping with you! Like he's your…superior!" Barry covered his face, hearing Lucas snicker. "Wait, no, forget I said that last part!"

Vulpix jumped out of Renee's arms when she started glaring at Barry threateningly. "Sounds like you've been thinking about things you shouldn't again, my dear big brother."

Barry's nose started to bleed. "No, I swear I wasn't thinking about stuff like that! I have absolutely no idea why I said that thing I just said! You are definitely not sleeping with that guy, and especially not in that sort of way! I didn't mean to say that either! I don't know why I'm still talking because I'm just making this worse for myself, aren't I…?"

"Oh, definitely."

Lucas held his head, staring hopelessly down at Barry. "This is like watching a suicide…"

"…You _like _that creep?" Richmond finally said. "He'll be your downfall if you keep thinking like that."

Renee sank to her knees and pulled on her hair. "I know! And it's so obvious! That's why we've got to hurry and catch him! So I won't do anything stupid!"

"You've already done your fair share of stupid things, idiot!" Barry shouted, pulling himself to his feet and wiping the blood from his nose with his sleeve. "Leave some of the stupid things to us, all right? You're hogging all the stupid!

"Are you saying you _want _to screw around like Renee has, making bets with old men and such?"

"Nobody asked you, Lucas! You're still in last place, remember?"

"Don't you think Richmond's in last place now? Because I'm positive that Renee doesn't hate me."

"Last place in what? A popularity contest? Nobody said I was a knight out to trip over other men to entertain the Princess.

"Enough of this," Renee decided, sitting back down. "I believe we were voting on what to do with Mr. Sakura once we've captured him?"

"Yeah. Let's kill him. And let's make it slow, painful, with lots of sharp weapons, and then we'll toast him into little bits and eat him! And _Onii-chan _will be doing the toasting!"

"Barry, you're making this difficult," Lucas sighed. "Even if you say that now, you'd probably just beat him within an inch of his life and leave the murder up to Richmond."

"We're not killing him, Barry, because I don't want to end up in jail sitting next to your stupid blonde face," Renee said, shaking at all the talk of death. "We should turn him in to the police. Since he _is _a thief, after all."

"That sounds fair enough," Lucas said, unsure of himself. "But…will that satisfy you, Renee?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Think about it," Lucas said, careful to put the matter delicately. "It's his fault that all of…this…happened."

Renee glared at Lucas, as if daring him. Her eyes were starting to water again, and her shoulder was trembling. "All of what? I've been having a fun time out here with all my friends. Haven't you?"

"It was a pleasure meeting all of you," Lucas squeaked, hunching his back slightly.

"Then what's the problem? I might even thank Mr. Sakura for this wonderful experience. Don't you think?"

"Renee, he…" Lucas sighed, giving up. "He almost killed your mother and now she may never remember you."

Renee squeezed her knees to her chest and began to cry once again. Barry sighed, tired of the constant crying.

"He what?" Richmond asked immediately.

"None of your business."

"She doesn't have to tell you if she doesn't want to," Lucas mumbled, patting Renee awkwardly on the shoulder. "I shouldn't have said that, huh? M'sorry…You okay?"

"No, it's…It's okay," Renee gasped, trying to regain her stature. She gave Lucas a forced laugh to prove she was all right. "Somebody had to say it, huh? We may as well tell Richmond…even if he is just gonna laugh."

"I won't laugh," he promised.

"You better not! Your neck is on the line now!"

"It's nothing," Renee explained, smiling as she rubbed her eyes. Richmond stared at her with a serious look, listening intently. "My mother got caught up in that explosion in Hoenn. Her memory was affected, and then my grandma died…My dad's still in France, and I don't even think he knows yet, but it's not like I could call him…But I'll get a job! I'll rake in the cash, and become a huge success story that inspires everyone! I'll be a household name that little kids look up to, and they'll say that they want to be just like Renee Harmony!"

Richmond smiled and laughed, raising one eyebrow. "That sounds too easy, doesn't it? Become president or something. Though you'd have to be American for that." He reached out and patted Renee's head. "I don't have to be a role model for _you_ now, do I? Because that'd be impossible."

Renee giggled, shooing his hand away. "Don't talk down to me just because you're older! Because it won't just be me and you, it'll be all of us. We'll all try hard."

"Exactly. And when we're all rich and famous, we'll all meet again someday and talk about how we used to be little people, and how pretty Renee has gotten since we last saw her."

Renee, surprised at his sudden compliment, gave an embarrassed high-pitched giggle. Barry pouted. "And when that happens, maybe Ashy here can tell me where he learned to talk to girls."

"Yeah, Richmond!" Renee agreed. "Even though you were a year ahead of us, school boys aren't supposed to talk big! They're supposed to be scared!"

"When was I scared?"

"You were never scared, you were just never _cool_!"

"Yeah, Ashy, stop being cool!"

"I'm not trying to be cool. I'm just naturally cool. Like, so cool I don't even need to try anymore. Barry, you should call me _senpai_ because I'm so awesome."

"Never, Ashy!"

"All right, all right," Lucas laughed, glad the pressure was off him. "Who votes we turn him in?" Renee raised her hand a bit hesitantly, Richmond following her. "Barry, killing him is out of the question." Barry groaned and raised his hand as well, looking disappointed. "Then it's settled. We'll capture the culprit and slam the gavel of justice."

"Haha! That sounds stupid," Barry laughed. "But hey, maybe he'll get the death penalty. Or if he actually _is _an alien, he'll be tested on for the rest of his days and he'll be out of our lives for good. Then I can focus on beating Disu, and I'll be number one in Renee's book!"

"I don't know," Renee considered. "Richmond just made quite a move just now."

"You're kidding me!"

"It was a joke! He's still a jerk, and he hasn't told me that he likes me yet."

"That's because I don't!"

"But that's no fun! I want my contest to last longer!"

"Do you guys smell smoke? Like, more than usual?" Lucas asked, breaking up the argument. Richmond suddenly got very quiet.

"I don't think it's any worse than it was this morning," he said with a regretful look. "Just ignore it…"

Lucas inhaled and looked thoughtful. "The air doesn't feel right. Maybe we should check it out, just to be safe."

"I didn't notice anything until you pointed it out," Renee admitted, glancing around her for signs of smoke. "I'm scared."

"Renee," Richmond mumbled. "When I told you to go home, I meant it."

"What are you talking about? I swear, there's no way I would-"

"I can't let you keep going. In fact, you've got to get out of here right this instant."

Renee stood up, smiling at everyone. "Let's go check out the fire, guys! If we burn this place down, we'll be in more trouble than Mr. Sakura."

"Renee, I'm serious…I'm saying this for your sake!"

"What was that? I thought I heard something," she teased, marching forward. Barry and Lucas glanced at each other, getting up to follow her a bit hesitantly. "Come on, you two- The Princess commands it!"

"Just listen to me this one time and you can ignore me for the rest of your life for all I care!"

"Do you guys hear something? Because I keep thinking I'm hearing something, but the sound of my ignoring Richmond is drowning out the sound."

"The fire's out of control!" Richmond shouted suddenly. "It's supposed to be! I'm not kidding- And I'm the expert here! If you go that way, there's no way you'll survive!"

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

**Lucas- So you're saying that throughout this entire chapter…there was a raging wildfire right under our noses and we didn't even notice?**

**Me- Well, you knew the fire was there, so you probably just ignored any signs...But it's cool. It's not like I can kill you off yet.**

**Lucas- But there's still plenty of time for you to burn anything you want to, be it humans or not! How many Pokemon are you planning to kill?**

**Me- …Eheh. Anyways, this chapter was longer than usual, huh? I think…At least it seems that way…Oh well. This was the perfect cliffhanger, though.**

**Lucas- Hey! Answer my question!**

**Me- I'm having some trouble with a particular part in Pokemon Idol, so I'm basically writing this to put it off until later…But I'm honestly stuck for a way to get out of it. When I fix it, you'll know…Until next time, which will hopefully be the next Pokemon Idol chapter! ~Furyfur**


	13. Unlucky Coincidence

**Deoxys Hunter Squad**

**A/N: It's chapter 13, and you know what that means! (Jokes about bad luck?) No! It's time to stop a fire so humongous, so powerful, so packed with raging strength that it puts Chuck Norris's big toenail to shame. Will our heroes make it out alive, or will I finally decide that I'm tired of Lucas and we could honestly do without him?**

**Lucas- I contribute so much to this story!**

**R&R if you love me deeply and you want to make a lonely little girl very happy. ;) You know who you are! You know you love me! And I love you too! LOTS OF HEEEEEAAAAAARTS~~! …But seriously, R&R because I love it when you do that.**

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

"The fire's out of control!" Richmond shouted suddenly. "It's supposed to be! I'm not kidding- And I'm the expert here! If you go that way, there's no way you'll survive!"

"Out of control?"

"It's supposed to be?"

"Why didn't you tell us?"

"Because, I…" Richmond tried to explain. "I've got my reasons, understand? I tried to tell you but you didn't listen!"

"Maybe you held us up for quite a while," Barry grumbled. "But we're still going. If you were trying to stop us from getting to Veilstone, you failed!"

"Why?"

"We still have to stop the fire, right?" Lucas asked, smiling at Barry's eagerness.

"Of course! Why would we turn and run? The word 'retreat' is not in the Deoxys Hunter Squad's dictionary! And Lucas is pretty much our dictionary!"

"Yeah!" Renee agreed. "We have lots of Pokemon that can help us, and we also have Richmond!"

Richmond looked dumbfounded at Renee's words. "Y-You're awfully optimistic for someone who doesn't know what they're up against…"

"But _you_ do," Renee said cheerfully. "You were the one who started the fire, after all. But we won't tell anyone, so hurry up and help us, okay? We're wasting precious seconds!"

"I n-never said I would help…"

"But you will!"

"But I won't."

"Of course you will!" Renee laughed. "Don't joke like that. There's no way you don't have a Water Pokemon, right? You do so much work with fire, you must have a way to put it out!"

"You don't get it! I can't help you!"

Renee's smile suddenly disappeared and a sullen expression replaced it. "Why not?"

"B-Because, I…For the love of…" Richmond gulped, a bit afraid of Renee's lifeless face. He smiled out of fear and waved. "B-Bye!"

"Hey! Wait!" Lucas called. "I thought you were on our side!"

"He's just a chicken. Forget all about him," Renee said in a voice with no emotion. Lucas stared at her, bewildered at her change in attitude. Renee lifted her head a smiled again, regaining her usual tone. "Let's go save those poor forest Pokemon!"

"Right! C'mon out, partners!" Barry shouted, releasing Piplup and Starly from their Pokeballs. Lucas silently did the same with Turtwig and Bidoof, and Renee called out Koffing, Chimchar, and Buneary with a smiling face. The Pokemon looked up at their trainers, awaiting instructions.

"Okay, guys, don't panic, but we're sorta half surrounded by a wildfire right now. And we don't have a plan, either," Barry said casually. To Renee's dismay, the Pokemon didn't look even remotely uneasy, except for the leaf on Turtwig's head drooping slightly. "So here's what I say we do! Lucas, since neither of your Pokemon have any particular attacks or abilities that would help us in any way…"

"I understand," Lucas said sadly, lowering his gaze. "I'll just go call for help, and you guys handle this one…"

"Nonsense. Take this." Barry reached into his pocket and threw something at Lucas. Lucas caught it on reflex with one hand just before it would have hit him. He and Renee examined it. It was a small machine, similar to a disk in design, and pale gray.

"What's this?" Renee asked.

"An HM. I picked it up when Renee needed the Pokeballs to catch Buneary. You can use it to teach Turtwig the move Strength." Barry pointed southeast. "There's a cave eastward that leads to Oreburgh. Since the fire's in that direction, use the alternate entrance that way. Use Strength to push boulders from the cave out the way you came - since you'll need to start from the south so the fire won't spread further that way - and move east, flattening the fire as you go. Bidoof can use Rollout to push boulders, but only small ones, so leave the bigger flames to Turtwig. But you're screwed if you get caught without the boulders to protect you, so don't go doing anything stupid."

Lucas looked honored at this responsibility. "I, um…" he squeaked, unsure of what to say.

"It's probably going to be the most difficult and dangerous job, so are you sure you're up for it? You're the only one who could do it, I'm sure of that."

"Y…Yeah!" Lucas decided, gripping the HM in his hands. To him, those words were the highest praise he could achieve. Renee silently congratulated him, but she didn't want to break the atmosphere. "I can do this, no problem! Just leave it to me! Don't worry- I'll be fine!"

Lucas broke off into a run with Turtwig and Bidoof, heading southward. Barry turned to Renee without missing a beat, looking serious, as if he no longer tolerate any of her weakness.

"Renee, you're going to literally fight fire with fire. The combined fire attacks of Chimchar and Vulpix will be able to lead the fire in another direction and contain it. Once a section of the fire is small enough for Koffing's Sludge to cover it completely, extinguish as much as you can, starting opposite of Lucas and heading east."

"Sounds simple enough!"

"Just make sure you don't get in the way of the fire yourself, because the only thing you have to protect you is more fire. Hopefully I don't need to tell you why that's bad. Work into it bit by bit instead of tackling it all head-on. And after every bit of fire is completely gone, it'll be your duty to clear the smoke out of the air using Koffing's Clear Smog move, but only after the fire is completely gone. Because if the air is cleared while it's still burning, the oxygen will only make the flames rise. If you take your sweet time, Pokemon will eventually lose tolerance of the air and die. So be quick about it."

"Right! What are you going to do?"

"I'll start east, where a good majority of the fire is burning, since it started there in the first place. Piplup has plenty of attacks that would extinguish the fire, and some, like Water Sport and Mist, that wouldn't do any harm to the environment at all. Starly will stand westward and use Whirlwind to make sure the fire doesn't travel toward Jubilife. If it goes any further east, Piplup and I can chase it down without much trouble. And since both you and Lucas will be pushing it this way, we can use Piplup's water moves to their fullest extent. You ready?"

"I'm a little dizzy because you just blew my mind, but I'm off!"

"Good luck, and let's show that son of another one why we're not running home to our mommies any time soon."

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

Lucas pushed forward, covering his eyes from the sparks that launched themselves off the crackling fire and latched onto his skin. The smoke was beginning to get to him, making his eyes water and his throat dry. Still he continued, coughing demands to Turtwig and Bidoof, who were both supremely inconvenienced by the heat. Turtwig, whose leaf on its head was wilting so far that it occasionally blocked its vision, was especially feeling the effects of dehydration.

"You're probably thirsty, right?" Lucas choked, assisting the two Pokemon in any way he could, though he was too weak to push the boulders himself. "Poor guy, you're really bad in heat, I know…Water makes your shell harden, and you can't go long without it, huh?" Lucas gave a ragged laugh. "The water back in the cave isn't the best, but I'll go back and fill the canteen. Northeast is that way, so keep on going and don't leave anything behind!"

Turtwig and Bidoof responded with a nod of determination, though they were both scarred as if they had been in a rough fight for hours. Lucas nodded back at them and made a mad dash in the direction they had come. He vaguely remembered various puddles scattered throughout the inner part of the cave, which they had scavenged earlier for the widest boulder they could find and push with ease.

Lucas's memory has never failed him before, so he wasn't surprised when he ended up being correct. He couldn't fill the canteen with puddles alone, so he searched with low patience for something deeper, and what he found sent him into temporary shock.

There was a girl standing up to her knees in a glowing orphan blue liquid substance. Her hair was short and straight but curled just slightly toward her neck at the ends, a deep, thick blue that was accented by the glow of the water. She was skinny, and frail-looking, she couldn't possibly be any older than Lucas. Her skin was pale white, reflecting the swaying back and forth of the water. At her feet was a bushel of weeds, tucked away with the calmed water, which would looked remarkably solid if it weren't for the very slight lapping against the girl's knees.

Lucas wanted to ask her if she was all right, standing in the middle of the miniature lake despite wearing knee-high socks and staring fixedly at the wall of the cave, and he obviously wanted to ask why it was glowing, but his voice caught in his throat until he saw that the water was slowly decreasing in level and swimming towards the girl and the plant. Then he remembered what he was doing.

"Ah! Wait! Please leave some of that for me!" Lucas cried, emerging from what had become his hiding place. Realizing that he had been exposed to this strange girl and in no time it would be clear that he had no _experience _with girls, he stumbled over his explanation. "I need- You see- There's a fire near Route 203, and my Pokemon and I are helping stop it, but my Turtwig needs-!"

The girl turned and stared at him. Her face was round and childish, her skin unmarred by imperfections. Her eyes were large, delicate, dark blue that Lucas could practically see his reflection in, despite the distance between them. The water's disappearance ceased as she opened her mouth to speak. Her voice was clear as crystal, not a single syllable going unspoken by her thin lips.

"That man with the red hair…Were you wrong in trusting him?"

Lucas laughed awkwardly, feeling a supreme sense of foreboding that couldn't go unnoticed. "I don't know why you know what we've been doing, but…So long as Renee and Barry trust him, he must be an okay guy."

"Do you plan to continue trusting him?"

"I still have no idea why he started this fire and why he won't fix it…But he must have a reason, and I trust that he's doing the right thing."

The girl smiled at him. "You should trust all your friends. All of them. No matter the things they do."

Lucas approached her slowly. "What if one of our friends hurts another one of our friends?"

The girl paused and leaned down to delicately touch the patch of weeds. Making Lucas jump, it bounced up, revealing a small, round, blue body with similar eyes full of energy. The Oddish nuzzled the girl's hand, making small noises of pleasure at her touch.

"Are you saying that it is any different from what the redhead has done? Are the inhabitants of this forest not your precious friends, just as the blonde and the brunette are?"

Lucas noticed with dry humor that she conveniently left Disu out of the picture. "Of course, Pokemon and plant life should be treated with care, and I'm not saying they're not my friends as well…but…"

"But?" she echoed, beginning to look irritated, as if there should be no question.

"But Renee is a special friend of mine," Lucas said with certainty.

"Special?"

"If she were a Pokemon or a plant, it wouldn't be any different. But Renee has to be Renee, just how she is. That's how I love her."

"And your blonde friend?" the girl asked, looking slightly curious. Lucas was a bit surprised at this question.

"Barry?"

"Yes, him. Do you love him too?"

Lucas's face went slightly pink. "I…He…Yes! Just not in the same way!"

"You love one friend more than the other?"

Lucas shook his head frantically, blushing harder. "No, not like that! I love all my friends equally, but Renee is more than a friend!"

"Why is she better than him?"

"She's not…She's not _better_, she's just a _girl_," Lucas tried to explain.

"You do not discriminate between species, but you do between gender?"

"It's not discrimination, I'm just straight!"

"I cannot be satisfied unless all of our friends receive equal treatment," she said, hugging herself and staring at the rippling water. Her expression was that of a small girl in pain, and it made Lucas incredibly nervous. He shoved his hands in his pockets and fidgeted nervously until it became too much for him.

"Okay, okay, fine! I love Barry the same way I love Renee!" he shouted, his face a deep red. "I mean that from the bottom of my heart! I'll shout it to the world if I have to, go around from country to country and profess my love to every passerby I see, in every language because love is universal! I love Barry! Will you stop saying I'm sexist now?"

The girl doubled over slightly in laughter. Lucas flinched at her sudden humor. "You…just now…" he growled. "You just wanted me to say something stupid, didn't you?"

"I am truly sorry. I couldn't resist."

Lucas sighed with relief, taking off his hat and running his fingers through his hair. "What's your name, and why do you know who I am, really?"

"My name is Trucy. Trucy Allison. It is good to meet you."

"Good to meet you," Lucas returned the greeting.

"I do not know you, exactly…but I do know your friends. Renee, Barry, and Richmond, at least."

"You've met them before? Are you friends?"

"…Well," Trucy said breathily. "We go to the same school. But I wouldn't say we're friends, just classmates."

"Another one? Give it a few days and I'll have to deal with their entire grade…"

Trucy giggled lightly, similarly to a tinkling bell. "I have actually been seeking them for a long while now. Ever since they became trainers, actually."

"Is that so?" Lucas asked, overwhelmed by the formality in her speech. "I guess it's a bit odd that I just told you I loved Renee, huh…?"

"You…should not be ashamed."

Lucas's blush returned to his cheeks and he averted his gaze quickly. "I'm fine. I'm not hurt or anything."

Trucy smiled sympathetically. "I am sorry. I feel I know too much about you, and yet I don't even know your name…"

Lucas flashed back to his senses. "Where are my manners? First Richmond and now this…I'm Lucas! I'm so horribly sorry…But I'm not normally this awkward, I promise!"

"It is just fine," Trucy laughed. "I am frightened at my own lack of manners for playing with your feelings earlier. It would be a blessing for you to forgive me."

"_Your _lack of manners?" Lucas said incredulously. "That's the last thing you need to be worried about! You put Barry to shame, in terms of first impressions…"

"I _do _lack manners. I was going to ask you, once I saw you were Barry, Richmond and Renee's friend, a mortifyingly rude question…Please forgive me. I abandoned the thought right away."

"I won't be offended or anything. Ask away."

"No, I couldn't possibly…"

"Trucy, you don't talk much in class, do you?" Lucas asked out of the blue.

"How could you tell?"

"Listen. Being shy won't get you anywhere. If you have things to say but don't say them, then eventually they'll all build up inside of you and turn into stress and anger. If you speak to people, even about the little unimportant things, then others can only agree or disagree. You've got nothing to lose. And you can make an infinite amount of friends by talking to just about anybody."

Trucy's eyes started to sparkle with admiration. Her breath was caught in her lungs and Lucas could tell she was struggling to breath correctly. "Are you okay…?"

"I-I…am fine," she stuttered, gripping her chest. "But you…You are s-so wise…"

Lucas scratched his head. "Wise? Well, like I said, I'm not usually this awkward…"

Trucy lurched forward and grabbed his hands. "Then you are exactly what I've been looking for! Oh, this is wonderful, I have been searching all over for a person like you…"

"R-Really? You have? A person like me? What kind of person is that…?"

"I…I…I wanted to ask…" Trucy said weakly, her head tilting forward at a uncomfortable distance from Lucas's face. "…Could you…possibly…"

"Could I possibly…?"

"…take me…"

Lucas's heart skipped a beat and his face grew redder. "Yes? What?"

"…to see Barry?"

Lucas slapped himself on the forehead, shouting to avoid his own awkwardness. "Yeah! Um, sure! That'll be a piece of cake! Totally! Yeah, no problem at all!"

"You will? Oh, thank you so much, Lucas, I'm so happy, I could just…!" Trucy kissed Lucas softly on his cheek. Lucas gaped slightly. "Thank you, thank you, I am ever so grateful…!"

Lucas massaged his cheek with his hand in shock. "It's no problem…But why do you want to see Barry?"

"Because I love him!"

Lucas dropped to his knees and moaned into his hands. "Not again…!"

"I can't help it, I met him and it was just there! Something about him is so beautiful, something about him I long for excruciatingly…"

"Yeah! That's Barry for you!"

"You understand?"

"…Yes…"

"Oh, Lucas, I needed someone like you ever since kindergarten…You can be my love coach! I'm so horrible with people! I just can't bring myself to talk to him! Not just him…Anybody! If I could at least learn to make conversation with someone, it would be such an improvement for someone as low as I am…And if you could teach me to pronounce my love for him, then all those wishes on stars will come true, and…!"

"Stop. Just stop."

"I-I am sorry…Was I ranting?"

Lucas shook his head sadly. "Something about this just really brings me down."

"Oh, if you wish to change the subject…Didn't you need water for something?"

"_CRAP_!"

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

On the first day of kindergarten, some of the kids cried at the realization that they were going to be left alone. Some of them brought stuffed animals with them to avoid being lonely, and others begged their parents to stay with them. Other kids were able to get straight on the playground with friends they had already met, or just hop on the swing set and find new ones.

Trucy wished she could have been like one of those kids. Either one, for it didn't matter which. Trucy didn't cry on her first day of school, nor did she seek out classmates to play with. It seemed to far from her personality to make new friends, so playing with the rest of the class wasn't worth the humiliation. It wasn't even possible for her to be one of the crying kids, because she was already used to the lonesome feeling of sitting by herself. She didn't need a stuffed animal because she only needed herself.

So she envied the sobbing children from afar and silently worshipped the kids on the playground. She stayed in the classroom and found different colored paper, crayons, glue, and a yellow pair of scissors. Drowning out the sound of parents conversing with the teacher, she drew a picture of her pet Pokemon from home. Her being five years old made drawing a bit tedious, but one of the reasons she loved school was the mounts of free time to do whatever she liked. A boy eventually approached her table and pointed at the picture.

"That's an Oddish, or the Weed Pokemon. It's a Grass- and Poison-Type that evolves into a Gloom at level 21, and then it can either evolve into a Vileplume with a Leaf Stone, or Bellossom with a Sun Stone. Except Oddish usually have red eyes, and this one has blue eyes. It's probably sick."

Trucy stared up at him in awe, her mouth hanging open slightly. He had blonde hair and vibrant orange eyes, and he had a green scarf over an orange and white striped shirt and gray jeans. He was staring down at her with a serious expression, completely unaware what he had just done.

_He…understands my Pokemon's problem? He understands me so well, his communication skills surpass the speech barrier? He's so sincere!_

"My name's Barry."

"…I…I…" Trucy squeaked, unable to force words out of her mouth. She closed her eyes tightly, cursing her speech for failing her at this crucial moment. Barry raised his eyebrows and hoisted himself on the table, swinging his legs back and forth and ignored her completely.

"Ashy, show me how to do that thing with the knife again."

"I can't show you here. We'll get caught. You should've remembered it the first time," Barry's redheaded friend said. "I can't get kicked out of school on the first day of kindergarten. That seems a bit early, doesn't it?"

"If you didn't want to get kicked out, then you wouldn't have brought a knife to show off. I won't cut myself this time so show me!"

"Do you want me to leave this school without making a single cent? I've gotta make at least a few sales before I make an advertisement."

"Advertise how? You just said you don't wanna get expelled."

He suddenly smiled and looked a lot more passionate. "Blow up something without getting caught, but make sure all the kids who don't have a big mouth know. It's great for business because it demonstrates the product nicely. Lots of kids don't think they'll like explosives or they're just afraid they'll get in trouble, but then they feel the tremendous power of a cherry bomb and they've just gotta have one for themselves. If I can do it without getting caught, then it reassured them that they won't get caught either. Though they probably will. That's why I charge extra for instructions and tips on how to avoid that."

"That's nice, but I was talking about knives."

"Well, then shut the hell up and cry about it. You get nothing."

"…I'm Trucy!" Trucy finally forced herself to say, her face bright red. Her forehead suddenly felt hot and a white light clouded her vision. Her head felt extremely dizzy and the next thing she knew, she had lost consciousness and collapsed where she was sitting. The redhead noticed and raised an eyebrow indifferently.

"Barry, that girl passed out."

"She did?"

Richmond grabbed her bangs and yanked her head up so Barry could have a better look. "Yeah. You can tell because her eyes are all rolled back, see?"

"Oh. Should we do something?"

"We're too young to do anything worthwhile, so go call the teacher."

"Teacher!" Barry shouted, replicating Richmond's indifference. "This girl passed out!"

Trucy's hair was black at that time, and her clothes were plain blue and she picked out a pair of old jeans for her first day. She wore her hair very simply, as it was much longer and straighter back then, considering she hadn't thought of cutting it in years. She was the picture of average. Most girls don't care about their looks and vain things like that until a later age, but at this moment, Trucy made the decision to improve herself by any means necessary.

The following day, Trucy cut her hair short for the sake of getting Barry's attention.

It was, in a sense, her first day of school, considering that she had lost consciousness before school even started yesterday. But she told herself that it was even better, considering she had to be introduced all over again. It increased her chance that she would get noticed. Instead, it seemed to have the opposite effect.

"Second day of school and we already have a new student. And tomorrow we'll all graduate!" Barry joked.

"You don't recognize her?" Richmond asked, stupefied. "Idiot."

"Should I? It's not like I've ever met her."

When Trucy got home from school that day, she threw her backpack in a corner, sat in a corner, and sobbed until she passed out. When she told her parents what happened, they went to the store and came back with new, brightly-colored outfits for Trucy to wear and make herself stand out.

"_I _am going to be the world's greatest Pokemon master when I grow up, even better then my father!" Barry would boast. "Set the bar pretty damn high, didn't he? But it'll be fine 'cuz I'm a natural."

"Be better then Palmer? You're lucky you're worthy enough to lick his shoes and that's only because you're his son," Richmond laughed. "If you want to be a trainer, start early so you won't be overwhelmed when you get your first Pokemon. Get a pet or something, like my Growlithe."

"Why should I get a pet if my old man's got tons of high-class Pokemon?"

"Because your dad's never home and I doubt you've ever really seen a wild Pokemon or, aside from mine, a tame one."

"That was a low blow about my dad. And I see Starly all the time! I can't even go aside without spotting a flock of those things! And if I see one more Bidoof, I swear I'll blow it up. But I won't 'cuz if I do that, Pokemon won't trust me!"

"Th…Th…Th…!" Trucy stuttered. Barry and Richmond turned to stare questioningly at her. "Th…Tha…That's…so kind of you!"

Richmond looked questioningly at her for making such a random outburst that didn't make much sense. Barry smiled. "Yeah, I'm such a nice guy."

Trucy was five years old and she knew what love was. No other girl showed as much interest in Barry as she did, so she was simply elated to have no competition. That meant that Barry was all hers, and she could take her sweet time with him. She would keep changing herself until she was noticed, until Barry couldn't resist her, and she had years of time to improve. She had Barry all to herself for what seemed to be an unlimited amount of time…

"Look, look guys!" Barry pointed to his pinkie finger, which had a red thread tied around it. "It's a red string of fate. Renee, gimme your hand!"

"Huh? What does this mean?"

"Like I said, it's a red string of fate! It means are destinies are connected."

"Then why me? How do you know if our destinies are connected?"

"You _promised_ me, didn't you? You didn't forget already?"

The girl stuck out her hand like a delicate princess for Barry, who began to tie the other side of the string around her finger. "You mean yesterday?"

"What happened yesterday?" Trucy blurted without thinking. She felt her cheeks turn pink when Barry and Renee turned to look at her. Trucy couldn't help feeling envious to the point where tears started dripping down her face.

"On the trip to the lake," Renee said softly to the crying mess in front of her. "You didn't go because your health was bad, right? Barry and I made a promise that we'd be friends forever. He saved me when I was going to die, so I owe him my life. Being friends forever is the least I can do."

"Don't talk like that," Barry sneered. "You promised that you'd be _mine _forever. So we can never, ever, _ever _break this string, understand?"

"Why not?"

"Because if I lose sight of you, you could go and tangle it with another person's fate! Then you wouldn't be mine forever. And that would make you a liar."

Trucy choked on her tears, eye shadow streaming down her cheeks. She felt shallow and superficial, as if the two people in front of her were gods and she was just a useless lump of plastic. She must've taken too long, because Barry was no longer hers anymore. He had gone from being what seemed to be within Trucy's reach to almost out of her sight. Completely unreachable, no matter how far she extended her arm.

"A-Ah…What's wrong?" Renee asked, looking troubled. "Did something bad happen? You can tell me if you want!"

Barry focused on Trucy. "I swear I've seen your face somewhere before…"

"Barry, that's not nice. She was here since the first day of school. I recognize her."

"Really? Then who is she?"

Renee pondered for a second. "We've never spoken before, so I don't remember…Hey, what's your name?"

"T-T-T-T…Tr-Trucy…"

"Trucy. That's a good name! Let's be friends, okay?"

"No!

"Wh-Why not?"

"I'm not good enough!" Trucy sobbed. Barry and Renee both deemed her remark to be unworthy of a response. Barry awkwardly turned his head towards the ceiling, and Renee just gave Trucy a blank stare.

After school, Renee approached Trucy. "Trucy! Don't run away, I just wanna talk a little!"

"But I can't! With either of you!" Trucy winced, her eyes puffy red.

"I really won't know what's wrong until you tell me," Renee pleaded. "Please! Why are you so upset?"

Trucy began to cry again. "I can't tell you! Even I were on your level, I couldn't!"

"Then I'll guess," Renee offered. "Umm…Were you hurt?"

"No…"

"Did someone call you a name?"

"N…No…"

"Trouble with school? Or at home?"

"No, it's not that either…"

"Do you miss someone or something?"

"Well, no…"

Renee looked beaten. "Those are all the problems I can think of."

"It's all right," Trucy assured her. "I wouldn't expect someone as popular and sweet as you to know!"

"Aw, come on! Just tell me and then I'll know!"

"Don't be mad at me," Trucy whispered, glancing nervously around her before leaning in close. "I-I love Barry…"

Renee blinked. "Okay. So why did you cry?"

"Because I can't tell him!"

"Why not?"

"If you're here now, then I couldn't ever…I'd be too greedy…"

"I don't get it…He's allowed to have more than one friend, you know."

Trucy wiped the tears out of her eyes. "You mean…You're just his friend…? But you seem so connected to him…"

"Connected?" Renee repeated, staring at her finger. "If I'd wanted to be connected to a gross boy, then I'd have left the string on my finger and spend the rest of my life with him."

Trucy sobbed and hugged Renee, digging her nose in her chest. "So you really don't like him like that! I'm so happy!"

"I'll help you," Renee offered. "Barry is thickheaded, but he listens to brunettes."

"He does?"

"…No…But I'll try my best! …And you can stop fiddling with your bangs. I was just kidding."

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

"How was it?" a voice behind Richmond said. Richmond spun around, pulling a handgun out of his pocket, trying to regain his loss of breath. He bared his teeth and tried to look threatening.

"Who's there?"

"Disu is!" Disu said cheerfully. "Don't shoot me please. I just want to know how it went."

Richmond lowered the gun. "…It didn't," he sighed.

"Is that so?"

He pulled a black hair tie out of his hair, making it fall to his shoulders. He gathered it once again between his fingers and began working on his ponytail once again. "Yeah, you can fire me or whatever. I'm not gonna be much help down the road either."

"Don't be silly!" Disu laughed. "I couldn't find a man in this earth who couldn't make use of a pyromaniac."

"_Pyrotechnic_. And I couldn't make Barry budge. Since he may as well be their leader, if I can't convince him to-"

"I hate him," Disu interrupted. "Don't call him their leader again."

"Even if you hate him, he says jump and they ask how high. I hate him too and wish it wasn't like that, but Lucas is purely a follower and Renee is just-"

"You think twice before you speak," Disu warned.

"You can't do anything!"

"Sakura can."

Richmond rolled his eyes. "You've never asked Kikuchi for help and you never will! You're too stubborn!"

"Disu is not stubborn," he said assertively. "And I've disobeyed orders before. I could do it again."

"The longest you've disobeyed 'orders' was long enough for Renee to insult Barry a few times and say she was on your side. Then you went right back to being a perfect little slave."

"That's because Disu _is _perfect," Disu said huffily. "And if I decide that I want to follow orders, then I will. But we've strayed from the point. You failed."

"The place is still gonna burn down," Richmond said, suddenly looking melancholic. "And those three will go down with it. They don't have any Water-Type Pokemon aside from Piplup, and it's not like they've been training enough for us to worry."

"What about Trucy?"

"What _about _Trucy?"

Disu looked irritated. "She trains Water Pokemon."

"Trucy isn't going to help them that much," Richmond scoffed. "Isn't she just there to lure them into a comfort zone?"

"I have faith in them," Disu said suddenly. "Maybe Lucas will burn to death. But not Barry or Renee, or Trucy for that matter."

Richmond frowned. "That was cold…Lucas seemed like a pretty cool guy to me…"

Disu stared into space. "He fights too much. With his own companions, no less. He got in one fight too many."

"What, you don't like fighters?"

"No, not at all. I want them to die out for being too thickheaded. Why do you ask?"

"…No reason whatsoever."

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

"Renee!" Barry called when Renee finally arrived, both of them scarred and exhausted. "Renee! Guess what I saw?"

"I don't believe you."

"I saw a ghost! A real one! Right here! And she was adorable!"

"I don't believe you," Renee repeated hopelessly.

"She had a Lotad! And she was helping me put the fire out! And she didn't speak at all! She was really creepy and she didn't even give her Pokemon orders, so she's a ghost with telepathy!"

"_I don't believe you_."

"Oh shut up. I swear!"

Lucas appeared through the burnt bushes with Trucy behind him. "Renee, I did it! All of it!" he said, glowing with pride.

Renee grinned. "I'm so proud of you, Lucas!"

"I don't believe you."

Renee elbowed Barry in the ribs. "Stop it."

Trucy made a tiny wave towards Renee and Barry, still hiding behind Lucas. "H-Hello."

"It's her! It's the ghost!" Barry said suddenly, pointing at Trucy. "I told you she was adorable! Do you believe me now?"

"Trucy!" Renee shouted gleefully, rushing forward and hugging her. "It's been too long! How in the world did you get here? It's a different dimension!"

"Y-Yes, well…Completely by accident, the same way everyone else did…I apologize for not being exciting…"

"Trucy, Barry called you adorable twice!"

Barry blinked. "If you can hug her, maybe she's not a ghost after all…"

"Barry, don't tell me you don't remember her. Trucy Allison! She's been in your class every year since kindergarten!"

"Not a clue," Barry said simply. "But I now admit that she is in fact alive."

"Of course she's alive. I can't believe you're so dense!"

"I found her while looking for water in the tunnel that leads to Oreburgh," Lucas explained. "She asked me to bring her to you guys. If we suddenly find your principal in the gutter somewhere, I'm going home and rethinking my life."

Trucy giggled. "Lucas has been very kind to me and I appreciate his time, even when he was in such a hurry…"

"When the forest was burning down, yeah," Barry agreed.

"So I decided to pitch in a bit and help you with the wildfire. I started training Water and Grass Pokemon a while ago, so I'm glad I was able to assist you…"

"You're the best, Trucy!" Renee said, hugging her close to her body. "Even when we've never done a thing for you, you still go through so much to help us when you weren't even asked…"

"Surely I couldn't bear to watch you fend for yourselves in a fire…And you've helped me more than you know! Everyone!"

Renee looked at Barry. "But what I'm doing isn't that difficult…"

Lucas blushed. "Me too. Uncomfortable, but not difficult.."

"What in the world are you guys going on about?" Barry asked. "I don't understand any of this. This girl suddenly appears and everybody goes lovestruck just like that! So who is she?"

"I already told you, she's our classmate!"

"There was never a girl in any of my classes with blue hair."

"It's, umm…not natural…" Trucy said nervously.

"Still don't remember you. So what's your name again?"

"It's Trucy!" Renee said angrily. "Trucy, the girl who fainted the first day of kindergarten and cried all day after the trip to the lake!"

"It's all right, Renee," Trucy said quietly. "I'm a plain girl; I don't stand out much…"

"Maybe you just stand out to me because your hair is bright blue," Renee sighed. "But even if you don't stand out, he could at least recognize your face."

"Maybe I'll remember you from now on as the ghost girl."

"Barry!"

"It's worth a try…"

Renee took Trucy's hands in hers. "Trucy, where are you going? You should come with us! We're going to stop an evildoer named Deoxys!"

"An evildoer…?" Trucy repeated breathlessly. "But I would hate to trouble you…You must be having a hard enough time with supplying the three of yourselves with food, considering you're all ten years old…"

"Don't be ridiculous, we have supplies to spare!"

"Th…Then…Maybe I'll join you. If you think he's an evildoer, then I have no right to disagree."

"Aw yeah!" Barry cheered. "Deoxys Hunter Squad has four members now!"

"Five, including Disu," Renee reminded him.

"Whatever!"

"I've been meaning to ask," Lucas jumped in. "But how in the world have we been able to live by ourselves this long if we're all ten? Renee just always seems to have money on her for everything…"

"Oh, Renee? She's got a money tree planted in her bag. I've seen it while I was snooping through her stuff," Barry joked.

"Doesn't it worry you at all? Where is Renee getting it all? What if she's doing something dangerous?"

"Oh please, Lucas," Renee said, rubbing her forehead. "Is it that strange for me to have money? I just took a lot of my savings with me when we set out to find Disu."

"Right…But I swear it's multiplying…"

"Who knows? Maybe she has a secret job that she's telling us nothing about that she escapes to at night and therefore gets no sleep at all," Barry considered.

"You see Trucy standing alone once and think she's a ghost, but the idea that Renee could be sleeping with older men behind your back isn't even a small deal to you?"

Barry turned to Renee. "Are you whoring yourself out?"

"No."

"See?"

"Fine, I give up!"

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

**Look at Richmond and Disu, being suspicious like good little plot devices.**

**Disu- Disu is not suspicious. :3**

**Richmond- …I'm probably suspicious at this point.**

**So, looks like Trucy has joined our heroes, despite knowing nothing about what they're after. It sucks that I had to bring up Trucy's backstory as soon as she was introduced, but when I planned the rest of the story out, I eventually figured out that if I had done it any later, it would've been too late. -_- So I had to explain why she loves Barry as soon as she appeared. Which sucks. Oh well, it can be overlooked! Maybe they'll finally tie Disu down next time they find him. Look for that in the next chapter! R&R~! ~Furyfur**


	14. Battle of the Sexes

**Deoxys Hunter Squad**

**A/N: I feel bad for Richmond and Disu. They look so damn suspicious now that everyone's gonna be pointing fingers at them. I think Kikuchi is much more suspicious, considering a bunch of stuff. But on the other hand, Richmond is really suspicious for starting the fire, and I guess the fact that Disu knows Richmond makes him sorta capable of bad things. What the hell? **_**There can only be one! **_**…R&R.**

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

When the gang arrived in Oreburgh with their new member, Barry tried to dash away from the other three towards the Gym without saying a word. Both Renee and Lucas grabbed him by the collar to hold him in place.

"Nope!"

"Why not?"

"Because we have to find Disu first."

"Excuse me," Trucy spoke up. "I understand who your friend is and his tendency to run off, but where do you plan to look for him?"

"If I go off by myself and get in trouble, he'll probably show up," Renee pointed out.

"…She's probably right," Lucas sighed. "But needless to say, we'll save that attempt for emergencies."

"I wanna battle," Barry complained. "Let me go to the Gym…I don't care about Disu anymore!"

"But if we go and try to find Disu while you try to challenge the Gym Leader, we won't get to watch you," Renee said. "What happened to going on and on about how you were going to show us how it's done?"

"Well, that's true, you guys probably do need the demonstration…Okay, maybe I'll help you out."

"Great. You go alone because you're so strong, then Trucy and Lucas can go together."

Barry looked at her as if she had just spoken a horrible curse word. "Please tell me you just momentarily forgot that you existed."

"Jeez…Maybe I want to try something on my own for once, Barry!"

"Well, maybe _I_ don't feel comfortable about Lucas getting more time with a girl than me!"

"If you want Trucy so bad, take her. Please. But I don't want Lucas going alone so take him too."

"Ew."

"What do you mean, 'ew'?" Lucas said incredulously. "You're still too immature to have male friends as well as female? Are you afraid I have cooties?"

Barry shook his head sadly. "So they've gotten you too, huh…They already have Renee, and I'm starting to worry about Richmond…Don't worry, maybe if you ever speak to a girl then they'll go away."

"I wish you wouldn't speak like that, Barry," Trucy said, looking as if she were still trying to find her determination. "Lucas happens to have given me great advice and he is very wise. He has plenty of information and I believe we're all lucky to have him around."

Lucas glanced over at her, surprised at her rebuttal, however nervous she sounded. "…What she said. Except for my advice wasn't that big of a deal…"

"But it was! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be saying anything right now!"

Renee spun around and tried to sneak away in the heat of the conversation, but Barry grabbed her around the waist and easily hoisted her onto his shoulders. Renee screamed and sobbed to be released.

"Stop it! Don't touch me! Stop it! I'll kick you! Lucas, help!"

Lucas and Trucy stared mortified at Barry blank stare as Renee thrashed about, throwing punches blindly. Barry was able to hold her in place with one arm. "So? Where are we headed?"

"…At least carry her properly. She's wearing a skirt."

"But then she's free to hit me as she pleases. Not that it would hurt much."

"Shut up! Shut uuuup! Please, people are staring!"

Renee screeched as Barry shifted his weight forward and nearly threw her off of him. He balanced her on his back for a few seconds, enjoying her terrified reaction, and finally heaved her off his back and held her bridal style. Tears were pouring down her face and her body was shaking with fear.

"Why would you _do_ that?" Renee cried, pounding Barry in the chest repeatedly. "What if I had fallen and broken my neck and died? What would you have done then?"

"Well, I've got this one," Barry said, ignoring her completely. "Lucas, you take the one with the weird hair." Lucas and Trucy couldn't produce a single comment as Barry casually walked away with Renee still protesting in his arms.

"I wonder where they're going…" Trucy said after a few seconds of silence.

"How about we go back to where we came from? That was where we lost him, after all. He's not one to stay in one place when he's lost, but maybe he came back at some point looking for us."

Trucy smiled at Lucas. "You're so smart, and you're always thinking ahead. I wish I could become mature and levelheaded like you!"

"…I still get a bit depressed when you compliment me, so let's just go."

"Oh, um…All right, though that doesn't make much sense to me…"

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

When Renee finally started to threaten to never go back to the Gym again, Barry rolled his eyes and let her down. "Fine, fine. Jeez, people who are scared of heights are so weird. I hate making you cry, so stop it!"

"Why are we weird? Anyone would be scared of being dangled above the ground!"

"If you ask me, people who are scared of things are just the same as people who can't be trusted with them and know it."

Renee, wiping tears off her face with her sleeve, looked up at Barry suddenly. "Th…That sounded awfully sensitive, for someone as brazen as you…"

"And that's why I don't think you should be alone. You're afraid of everything and therefore cannot be trusted with anything."

"…Hey! I'm not scared of everything…!"

"You're scared of Pokemon and I still wouldn't leave you alone with them. You're scared of heights and when you could try overpowering me, all you do is cry and beg to be let down. You're scared of the dark and your first instinct in darkness is to wander about and cry for someone to find you. You're scared of water and you could probably find a million ways to drown yourself. You're like a blonde in a horror movie."

"You can't make blonde jokes when you yourself are blonde…" Renee sniffed. "And it's because I'm scared of those things that I want to be _alone_. If I stop relying on others for everything, I'll be less scared. So please, I'll be fine just looking for someone on my own! Everyone in this city looks really friendly and I'll just ask around a bit! I won't try to do anything major on my own. And Disu is more likely to approach me when you're not there!"

Barry turned his back to her. "If you want to be alone, so be it."

Renee sighed with relief. "Yes, finally…I've needed to be alone for a long t-"

"But if you're thinking about shopping, get those thoughts out of your head."

"Urk! Why…?"

Barry turned his head back to her and grinned. "Because you already owe me a million dollars."

Renee's face went white as a sheet and she dropped to her knees. "My God…I completely forgot…" she winced in a voice that was shocked into near-silence.

Barry tossed a hand into the air and strutted away. "_Au revoir_, my princess. Good luck not being spoiled like you're used to."

"Oooooh…I hate you…!"

Renee felt the tears that have remained unshed return to her eyes, and with a sigh she brought herself to her feet and dusted herself off. She looked in the direction Barry left curiously, and, with a shaking voice, shouted "I'm sorry!".

Renee wasn't sorry for owing Barry a million dollars and knowing she would never pay it back. She wasn't sorry for acting like a complete fool in front of him, or even saying that she hated him. That was for Barry to believe. Renee was sorry for something much worse.

Renee had walked into a vintage clothing shop when she spotted who she was looking for. "Sakura…"

The boy calmly turned and looked at her, his expression changing to a smile. "Hello again. Forgive me for saying so, but you look a bit like you've just run a great distance." Renee bit her lip to avoid going off on a tangent, reminding herself that Kikuchi hated it when friends fought. "So I suppose you've come to hear about my offer."

"I don't know what you're offering…but I'm almost sure of what the answer is," Renee said clearly.

Kikuchi turned back around and spoke as if he was thinking aloud. "If you came here to meet me instead of just ignoring me completely, there are only two things you could be doing."

"I know what I'm doing, believe me."

"I'm well aware of that. You could either be here to gang up on me with that little crew you have barking like dogs behind Barry…" Kikuchi said thoughtfully. "…or to completely offer your own body and blood to me. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out which one you're more likely to choose, so maybe I should just leave."

"I'm alone."

Kikuchi raised an eyebrow at her, but smiled all-knowingly in her direction. "I know. That's precisely why it was so obvious. Now come, I'll buy you something and we can talk this over."

"Buy me something…Like clothes?" Renee said hopefully.

"…I meant something to eat, but if that's what you want…"

"Oh! N-No, it's all right…I'm just feeling kind of lethargic today."

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

Lucas and Trucy had retraced their steps back to the site of the fire. Trucy looked around wistfully.

"I was hoping that when we arrived here once again, it would be further in the future and some of the wildlife would have been healed. I didn't want to come back so early."

"Trucy, you love plants, don't you? The way you talk about them like they're your family."

"I raise Grass- and Water-Type Pokemon, which are the two things that make up nature. So I feel as if every bit of life in this world is close to me, because my Pokemon have taught me that even the trees and grass and flowers are a form of life, just like us. I feel responsible as a human being whenever anything happens to them."

"But isn't that grouping humans together when you feel responsible for your own species?" Lucas joked.

Trucy looked positively mortified. "Oh…Oh no! Is it? I suppose it is! Oh no, I didn't mean it like that; I see every living thing on this planet as equals, but even I must admit that there are several small differences between each one! And I suppose humans are the most cruel because I've seen humans bickering and picking flowers and stepping all over other life forms- Oh no, now I'm just making this worse!"

"Trucy, calm down. I was kidding."

"…O-Oh…"

Barry appeared into the clearing with both hands behind his head, looking stressed out. Lucas noticed him and sensed something was wrong.

"Where's Renee?"

"She got away," Barry said bitterly. Lucas imagined Renee using whatever means necessary to avoid Barry and chuckled to himself, satisfied.

"You poor thing. You look positively broken."

Barry sat down cross-legged on the dust ground. "This is weird. This is really weird."

"What is?" Trucy asked.

"You guys were there so you didn't feel it."

"Didn't feel what?"

"The atmosphere."

"What about it?"

Barry crossed his arms. "Everything was fine for one second, then suddenly everything got all cold. I thought something bad was going to happen. Is this what they call 'sensing the mood'?"

"Wow," Lucas said in a monochrome tone. "If even you could tell, it must've been really bad."

"I'm not laughing."

"Well, if you got a bad feeling, why did you leave Renee alone?"

"I left her before it got all chilly," Barry said, shivering a little. "She said something about being sorry and then I got all suspicious."

"It was probably nothing, just a drop in temperature or something. Because you're too thickheaded to sense foreshadowing."

"I told you, it's not funny."

"And you were too stubborn to just turn around and change your mind," Lucas laughed. "That's just like you, Barry. You're vehement and definitive, but you're also heedless and inconsiderate."

"I don't know what any of those words mean, but shut up because I'm the important one here!"

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

"Where do they believe I'll be?" Kikuchi asked, sitting across from Renee. He had taken her to a café not far from their meeting place. Renee had ordered a parfait, and Kikuchi sullenly refused to order anything, looking a little sick at the sight of all the ice cream.

"Veilstone City. Is that all right?"

"…That's fine."

"Wait, you just paused for a second or two. Is it really okay? We can make up some kind of story if it's too much trouble!"

"No, really, it's fine - I just dislike that city a bit from a previous experience, and…"

"What kind of previous experience?"

Kikuchi twitched. "It's nothing. There's just one particular place I want to stay away from, otherwise the city in whole is fine. The real question here is, is that all right with _you_?"

"I don't see why it wouldn't be. It's just another city, and it won't require too much travel while just enough to give you enough time to make it there first."

"But Team Galactic's base is there."

"Who?"

Kikuchi massaged his forehead. "Surely you must know who they are if you're so close to the scientist boy."

"The scientist boy…Lucas? No, Lucas is just smart…"

"His father is a scientist, and his grandfather was something similar before him. He's Professor Rowan's assistant."

"Really? Wow, you know more about my friends than I do…Anyway, Team Galactic sounds really familiar. Who are they?"

"They tried to occupy the lake by your home a few months back."

"…Jeez! I remember now! My first battle, which I lost! How did you know that?"

"Their base is in Veilstone, which is a town I have bad blood with. But it's all right. Everything will be all right." Renee gulped at the sound of his voice assuring such a thing. He sounded so uncertain, but he remained stuck to his decision. Renee's face went slightly pink when she realized that he was just like Barry in that sense.

Kikuchi…was just like Barry.

Causing curious looks from others in the café, including Kikuchi, Renee planted her face in her hands and laughed until she was out of breath. She didn't allow herself much more than a few seconds to think about Team Galactic.

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

"Stupid girl thinks nonstop of buying stupid skirts and other stupid stuff like that! She's no help to us at all! She's probably off getting kidnapped as we speak."

"Looks like I have to spell it out for him. You just don't understand women, Barry," Lucas sighed. "If you don't give a girl time for herself, you're clingy. How would you feel if Renee did nothing but followed you around and didn't let you have any other friends?"

"She already does that, and it would be just fine if we kept it that way. She could at least be consistent!"

"You keep proving me right. You met her when she was young, and now that she's older, she's less dependent on everyone. It's only natural she'd want more time to herself. Just because you didn't mature doesn't mean she can't."

"It's not that," Barry said dreamily. "I want her to mature. More than anything."

"…You're missing the point. How much would you hate it if Renee started thinking you were clingy?"

"I'm not clingy! I just don't want her touching any other human being besides me! And that includes violence because she's so adorable when throwing punches!"

"Who in the world _are_ you?"

"Don't give up," Trucy said, tugging on Lucas's sleeve. "I know you can break through to him. I know it."

"Renee isn't the kind of person to find pleasure in useless men, like the kind of person Vanilla is," Lucas continued. "You have to be strong to deal with her, which I see you've been working for since before you met her, but you also have to respect her decisions. She's never going to like you if you're too nice or too mean."

"But you're too nice and she likes you," Barry complained. "And Ducky's too mean and she likes him. And what did you say about Vanilla?"

"Sakura isn't mean. No matter how you look at it, he's a gentleman."

"…Well, he's mean to _me_! And why are you giving me love advice? I don't see you being flocked by women!"

"If you don't want her to spend time with others, ask her out and then you'll have nothing to worry about."

"No. If she rejects me as horribly as she rejected you, I'll have no chance to get back to my feet and I'll die alone. Like you."

Lucas simply looked at Barry with the same look in his eyes that a small child would look at mass murder. "Barry," Lucas said slowly. "Renee is growing up and wants to prove she's independent. Can't you see that?"

"But she's not independent."

"I give up."

"You can't give up!" Trucy protested, grabbing Lucas's arm. "You just can't! I know you can do it, because you're so knowledgeable!"

"Listen to me! I didn't want to word it this way, but when women get around this age, they think of themselves as the center of the world! No matter how great their lives are, they think they have it the worst of everyone! They make themselves believe that they're ugly and they'll never get to date and never get married! They get worked up over every little thing their parents make them do and claim that they're being controlling! They think of every little crush as hopeless, unrequited love! They think they can beat up all the boys and that they can go on without depending on anyone! It's not true but it's what they all believe!"

"Renee would never think any of those things, though," Barry cut in. "She treats her father like some kind of god from a fairy tale, and she knows full well that she can't beat anyone up. Yet look at how positive she is. Positive enough while not sugarcoating things, anyway."

Lucas whirled around. "Trucy, back me up here!"

"Um…I, too, went through a stage in which I was convinced my life was terrible, even though I realize now that I'm very lucky," Trucy admitted. "I never had anything against my parents, but I became hopelessly lost over the tiniest little longing for a boyfriend. I'm fairly certain all females feel this way at some point. Like how all children eventually want to run away from home. Some sort of rebellious stage, I'd imagine."

"See?"

"Why should I trust a girl I just met?"

"You didn't just meet her! You've known her longer than you've known Renee!"

"But I remember Renee," Barry said haughtily.

"Gah!"

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

"How are your friends doing?"

Renee stared at her mountain of vanilla ice cream. "Barry is being unfair. He made a stupid bet months ago and still hasn't forgotten about it."

"That's interesting. What happened?"

"I fell asleep after crying for a long time, and missed the time we were supposed to meet to look for something," Renee began. "I forget what. Something unimportant. He got mad at me for being late, so he fined me a million dollars. Where is a ten-year-old girl to get a million dollars? I'm too young to get a job, and all the jobs that could earn me a million dollars are icky!"

"That sounds very unfair."

"I know, isn't it? It's so annoying! He's so sweet, trying to understand my problems the best he can, but in reality he knows nothing about me!"

Kikuchi rested his chin on his wrist. "It seems to me like he knows everything about you."

"Huh?"

"He knows it irritates you when he doesn't understand your issues, so he tries to act as if he can relate to comfort you."

"…I never thought about it that way…The way you think is so…cute."

"…Cute…?"

"But if he's trying to get on my good side, why does he still insist I owe him a million dollars?"

Kikuchi glanced off to the side. "Men can become sickeningly stubborn at seemingly random times. It is one of our worst qualities."

"What do you mean?"

"One minute, we can act as obedient as possible for whatever reason, but in an instant we take one-eighty turns and simply decide that we are more important and we should get what we want at all times. Once we're finished with that phase, we cannot fathom at all why we had made such choices."

"Sounds complicated…"

"This is the singular, first and final thing that will ever seem complex about males."

"But _you're_ a complex person, Sakura," Renee identified. "I feel I don't know a thing about you. You can change on a dime, and you're motives are so confusing."

Kikuchi smiled warmly. "You wish to hear about my motives?"

"A little bit, yes," Renee confessed. "Mostly because you seem to know everything that goes on, plus you sure do like me a lot for someone who's hardly spent any time with me."

"Let's see…" Kikuchi said, sitting up straighter in his seat and folding his hands. "Where to begin? I suppose I should make clear whether or not I'm your fairy tale's antagonist."

"Fairy tale…Fine, fine."

Kikuchi paused to think about it. "For starters, do you believe I'm a bad person, Harmony?"

Renee twisted her hair through her fingers. "I don't know. If I had to guess, I would say you had some sort of plan to do something bad to Barry, Lucas, and Disu, but I don't think you'll touch me."

"What about your other friends?"

"My other friends…" Renee repeated, focusing hard on her parfait. "Trucy is innocent and you couldn't possibly have something against her, but since she jumps to Barry's side so much, maybe you might take her down with him. Vanilla's not involved with anything aside from being mad at me, but that's not reason to throw her in. And Richmond is very suspicious. I can't wait until I figure out why he started that fire and just left. But if he's suspicious, it's more likely you're not going against him."

"That's wonderful logic," Kikuchi said, grinning. "But it would be better if you decided that I wouldn't target anyone."

"Of course you would love me to believe that, but you must have an enemy. Go on, tell me!"

Kikuchi's eyes dropped towards his hands. "It's too early to reveal anything dramatic. I can't leave you with all the information while you still travel with those imbeciles. I hope you understand."

"Of course. Now stop keeping me in suspense."

"My enemy is someone you already know. At the same time, that person is the one closest to me. My dearest ally." Renee simply looked bewildered. Kikuchi chuckled at her blank look. "I wish I could be more specific, though I fear it's become too obvious already. In general, your circle has become my target. Am I aiming to kill? The answer to that question is yes." Kikuchi's eyes softened. "Am I aiming to kill you? That depends on your own choices, though I am still debating with myself under what circumstances. Of course, I am fully prepared to murder whoever I wish. Not to offend you, but I'm afraid your attacks won't be much of a chore."

"Are you, um…an alien?"

"No."

"…Okay. Do you know anything about Deoxys?"

"I dreaded you would ask that. But I won't lie to you," Kikuchi sighed. "Your blonde friend isn't mentally ill. Deoxys does, in fact, exist. What he experienced was a message sent directly to him that played in his movie theater of a brain when he was unconscious."

"Really? Barry saw that thing in a vision, not a dream? No way! Is Deoxys an alien?"

"If you are asking if Deoxys is from another planet, no. Deoxys was created by scientists in the Kanto region who were testing a hypothesis formed by Hoenn researchers to alter DNA in order to create some sort of energy in the midst of space to use to their advantage. I thought the whole idea was worth ridicule, but this is just how scientists are at times. Although I'm sure your mother was a wonderful and wise woman. If you think about how Deoxys was created, it's technically a Pokemon. A Clefairy, actually, with twisted DNA."

"Is that how I greet people without realizing it? How are you, my mother was nearly killed in a DNA experiment!...Though, was that really my mother's research group?"

"Who can say?" Kikuchi said, looking amused. "…I may say that, but I can say for sure that this incident was what nearly maimed your mother."

"Is there more than one Deoxys?"

"Something like that is hard to explain. Unless Deoxys somehow multiplied without my knowledge, there is only one being known as Deoxys, but Deoxys itself can take on four forms. One of these forms is simply a neutral state, the other three specializing in a certain statistic, namely offensive power, defensive, and speed."

"It just…changes? Is it by its own will?"

"There are many rumors. Some say it can shapeshift by its own power, others say it depends on its environment. Of course, both of those are untrue. Deoxys can bend its own simple DNA using the magnetic powers in aurora to morph itself into these shapes, or use meteors from a certain place in space near the aurora. The meteors are the easiest access, considering they're found on earth."

"How do you know?"

"I just do."

Renee looked at her knees. "So, um…my mother said…that it was you, who had done that to her. Was she lying to me? You don't seem the type to…"

"Tell the truth."

"Okay, I'm completely convinced it was you. Was it?"

Kikuchi laughed. "What exactly did she say? Give me all the details."

"…Err, umm…Well, once Deoxys had done all the damage, it just…_transformed_ into someone who looks just like you. Yeah. That's it."

"Be more specific."

"No! I don't want to talk about uncomfortable things! Just tell me if it was you or not!"

Kikuchi shrugged. "That's a difficult question to answer."

"No it's not! Were you the being that nearly killed my mother? Yes or no!"

"Yes and no."

Renee looked as if she were about to cry, which only made Kikuchi seem even more irritated. "Sakura, you're making me angry! This is the stubborn part that you hate about boys! Give me a clear answer! If you don't, I'm gonna-"

Kikuchi cut her off by standing up, making the silverware on the table clatter. He walked calmly around the table to her side, sitting next to her and swiftly putting an arm around her shoulder to pull her closer. Renee, who had just begun to cry again, gasped. He twirled her hair between his fingers and whispered into her ear, "I'm a horrible person, but don't blame me for everything. That makes you stubborn for pushing your problems on me. I'm sorry." Renee flinched, his breath tickling her skin.

"I've decided that I hate you now," she whimpered. Kikuchi wiped a tear off her cheek with her thumb.

"You can't hate me if I own you now." Renee's breath shortened to tiny gasps for oxygen. "What, did that upset you now? I own you, Harmony, every bit of your skin and blood is all mine now. The inside and out of your body is for me only. Do you understand?"

"I - Get off me!" Renee said, getting dizzy from lack of breath. "No, don't touch me…! You're going to cause a scene, Sakura!"

"You can resist as much as you want, but you're bound by invisible chains. _I own you_. You can ignore it but you're all mine. It will never leave you. You're mine until the day you die."

"Sakura, I said-!"

"But to answer your question," he went on in his regular tone, crossing his legs. "I shouldn't be blamed for your mother's accident. I'll admit that it's partly my fault, but I wouldn't dare seek out your relatives to hurt them. Maybe other people but not you. And keep in mind that I'm not a mindless killer; I have my reasons. It would just be terrible if something were to happen to me for simply explaining it to you." He stroked her hair. "I would tell you to keep out of it, it looks like that's impossible now. You won't be hurt unless you interfere. I believe that was what I said earlier. And if having me as your object of hate would satisfy you, then hate me you shall." Kikuchi handed Renee a brown wallet and stood, walking out of the café. "Meet you again in Oreburgh, my very special lost soul."

Renee sat bemused in shock for a few moments before hastily opening the wallet. Inside was more money than she had ever seen in her life, and a small red Pokeball. She picked up the Pokeball and tapped the button in the middle to enlarge it before releasing the Pokemon inside.

It was a brown Pokemon with a striped tail. It had a rounded body with stubby arms and beady black eyes. It looked determinedly at Renee, with the same sort of recognition Vulpix had showed when first meeting her. Renee opened her Pokedex.

"**Sentret, the Scout Pokémon. Sentret is able to see great distances by rising up on its tail. When it spots an enemy, or any kind of danger, it emits a loud, shrill cry as a warning."**

"Hello," Renee said politely. "Are you Sakura's Pokemon?" The Sentret shook its head no. "Are you…my Pokemon?" The Sentret bobbed its head up and down rapidly before crawling into her lap and curling up into a ball, placing its tail over its black nose. Renee put her hands up as a surprise. "Y-You're all dirty, you poor thing…! And you don't look too excited to see me…I know, maybe you would like some sweets. Can Pokemon eat ice cream…?"

The Sentret hopped to its tail and straightened itself immediately. Renee gave a tiny scream, covering her mouth immediately. She pointed to the parfait in front of her. "G-Go ahead, I guess you can…Eek!" It hopped onto its tiny limbs on the table, helping itself to the bowl and looking elated. "Ugh, you really are filthy…Why would Sakura leave me such a filthy Pokemon?"

Sentret paused to look at Renee, a guilty glint in its eyes. Renee faltered. "By filthy, I meant your coat is full of dirt! It's okay, you're still nice so I like you! You just need a bath is all!" The Pokemon smiled at her and chanted its name a few times before returning to its treat. Renee thought about what her Pokedex had said. "So you were sent…to protect me…?" she whispered to herself. "But more importantly…" Renee kissed the wallet and smiled eagerly. "Guess who's rich? I'm rich! Renee Harmony can now work on paying her debt! If I'm a slave to any man, I'm glad it's Sakura!" Renee grabbed Sentret and hugged it, making it shriek with surprise and fluff up its tail. "I can't believe I just said that!"

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

When the sun sank low, Barry, Lucas, and Trucy returned to the hotel, each expressing a different emotion. Barry looked as if he would slaughter the next person who disagreed with him, Trucy was bound to burst into tears at any moment, and Lucas was busy on calming the both of them down. Renee was already there, checking out a room with a black-haired boy at her side.

"Renee! Where in the world did you find him?"

Renee smiled at them. "Just wandering around! Would you believe that? Turns out I'm more useful without a man telling me what to do!"

"Of course," Lucas agreed breathlessly as Barry turned his back to her and pout. Disu waved to them, smiling childishly as always.

"The most beds they have to a room at the moment is two. Is that okay with you guys?"

"That is absolutely positively wonderful!" Barry said out of nowhere. "Look at that, Lucas, you get to sleep with Trucy and Disu! Isn't that nice? What great friends! Renee, if you say anything else I'm gonna kill you!"

"Yeah, yeah. I was kind of hoping you would take a bed with Trucy, though."

"Even better."

"I want to sleep with Master again," Disu said, folding his hands together. "It was a nice feeling the last time so it would be nice if we could do it again."

"Done and done," Renee said, hugging Disu. "I'll take him, Barry, and I guess I'll take Lucas too."

"What? No. You already tried to ditch me with this girl once!"

"Yes, so why won't you stay with her already?"

"No," Trucy said. "I wouldn't want to bother him at all. Renee, thank you so much for taking the trouble to suggest it, but…"

"Girls to one bed, boys to another," Lucas said decisively. "Let's leave it at that."

"_Not in your life_-!"

"No, Disu doesn't think he would-"

"I'm not sure, that sounds a bit-"

"Yes, that sounds the safest," Renee agreed, flashing Lucas an apologetic smile. "That is, if you don't mind, Trucy. We can work on Barry later."

Trucy hesitated and nodded. "W-Well, if it's Renee…I do hold a great amount of respect and almost love for her…"

"I'm sorry, are any of you listening to _me_?"

"You've slept with Lucas once, I'm sure you can handle it," Renee said hotly, brushing Barry's anger off of her as payback for her unreasonable amount of debt.

"But-!"

"You guys stay here, Trucy and I will go up and change first," Renee conversed as she took the keys from the man at the counter. "Thank you. And don't even think of coming to spy on us! Disu, why don't you come as well and wait in the room. I'll come down and get you guys when we're finished."

"I'm sorry, _what_?"

Renee took Disu by the hand, who looked questioningly at her but smiled and followed her lead. "Now you two wait like good little boys!"

"Renee," Lucas sighed. "Now you're just being cruel to him past the point he deserves it."

"I can't help it, I'm angry!"

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

"Oh, that reminds me. I got a new Pokemon!" Renee said bubbly, laying herself down on the bed closest to the window next to Chimchar. She had dressed herself in a pink nightgown with white frills that Barry realized with suspicion was brand new.

"A new one, huh?" Lucas asked, taking off his hat and shaking out his short black hair. "What kind of Pokemon?"

Renee called Sentret out of its Pokeball, who stood on its tail with its paws crossed like a bodyguard. Its fur coat was now shining and dust-free. Lucas immediately took out his Pokedex to add Sentret's information. "Did you know when a Sentret is alone, it is incapable of sleep due to fear for its life?" he read.

"So it's a Pokemon version of Renee. It has short legs like her, too."

"Hey!"

"I think it's wonderful," Trucy said, patting the Pokemon delicately between its ears. Sentret purred, trusting Trucy instantly. "It's okay, little one. There isn't any need to fear, for we'll protect you."

"Renee, tell me…Did you _catch_ this Pokemon?" Barry asked, cocking an eyebrow. Renee gulped and held her hands against her chest.

"I caught Sentret! I caught him all by myself! Don't look at me like that…!"

"Which Pokemon did you battle it with?"

"Err…Chimchar, didn't we battle this Sentret together?"

Chimchar glanced over from where it was lying relaxed on Renee and Trucy's bed, and nodded no matter how confused he was.

"Right! See?"

"Come on, Renee. Who did it for you?"

"Look, I don't even think it's that cute. The way it stands on its tail scares me. I didn't want it so much that I'd beg strangers to catch it for me."

"Whatever. I made some progress too," Barry sneered, twirling a Pokeball on his fingers. "Guess who has one less Piplup…?"

"You got rid of Piplup?"

"Shut up, Renee, Piplup evolved."

"Evolved…? I, um, kind of understand what that means…"

"You should know," Barry pointed out. "You were the one who evolved your Purugly."

"She was?"

"Yeah, but she didn't mean to. Her pet Glameow had followed her to school. When she wasn't stalking me for a few seconds, Ashy got mad at her for looking him in the eye or something and started harassing her. Glameow jumped on his face and gave him a big scratch on his nose that never went away. But it's hard to notice, because he's gotten himself so many other scars anyway."

"So Glameow evolved?"

"Yeah, and Renee cried like a baby. We know how she feels toward Pokemon taller than five inches."

"I had thought that Glameow had lost its fighting spirit, since it was my mother's when she was my age," Renee laughed sheepishly. "So seeing it change both its appearance and nature was shocking. But Barry thought it was the coolest thing ever."

"Well, duh, it was the first time I saw something other than myself kick Ashy to the ground. And also my first time seeing a Pokemon evolve, but still…"

"And now Barry's Piplup evolved, huh?" Lucas asked. "Go on and show us!"

Barry called his new Pokemon out of its Pokeball. The once proud-looking tiny penguin had grown into a much larger and less rounded form of itself. "This one is Prinplup. Do your Pokedex thing and bask in his glory."

Renee and Lucas did as instructed, opening their Pokedexes to observe Prinplup. "**Prinplup, the Penguin Pokémon, and the evolved form of Piplup. One blow from its wings is strong enough to knock down trees.**"

"Nice to…meet you?" Renee asked awkwardly. Chimchar leapt down from the bed to sniff its friend.

"You're less chubby now!" Chimchar pointed out gleefully.

Prinplup directed a Peck towards Chimchar's head, making it fall to the ground and hold its head in pain. "Maybe when you evolve, you'll be less annoying!"

"Jerk."

"I don't think I want to make my Pokemon evolve," Renee thought aloud. "They're so nice and mellow the way they are now. I'm afraid that if they evolve, they'll develop a bad attribute they didn't have before."

"It's your choice," Lucas told her. "Though remember that Pokemon are much stronger once they evolve."

"Uh huh…But what good is being stronger if-?"

"Don't even finish that thought! You're competing against Roark tomorrow and you will like it! You already promised me!"

"Who's Roark?"

"Kill me now."

Renee lit up. "That reminds me. Barry, do you want to take pity on me and forget about the debt?"

"No."

"Then here's ten dollars."

"Wh-?"

"Where in the world did you get that?" Trucy asked.

"Women have their ways," Renee said hotly, turning her back to Barry. "I won't lose to someone so careless not to know that."

"Feh! Women!" Barry spat. "I don't understand a thing about 'em!"

"Women don't understand men either!" she fired back.

"She's kidding, right…?" Lucas laughed weakly.

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

"Kikuchi."

"Hm? Oh, it's you…Come to angst about your fragile love?"

"What in the world are you trying to do?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Don't play dumb with me. I saw it clear as day, same as you."

"I haven't the foggiest idea what I've done."

"You scold me for going in the wrong direction, and yet you're just as bad. You gave her a weapon to use against you."

"That was to protect her."

"Protect her from who? _You're_ her only enemy."

"That's not true. I'm half of an enemy, and so are you, and there's also Team Galactic to worry about. Not to mention her stubborn, bright-eyed friend is as good as an enemy."

"You were the one who told me otherwise, hypocrite."

"That was before you decided to stop digging your nose in my business. Don't revive old habits."

"But you're on my side, idiot, so that gives her a weapon to use against both of us. It's my problem too - Maybe I don't _want_ to keep up this dreadful lifestyle?"

"Think of it as a spy instead of a weapon. And your life is ten times as easy as mine."

"You sound jealous."

"Jealous? Please. I'm disappointed in you for taking the easy way."

"If the _easy way_ is being everyone's shadow and constantly living what little being I have under fear that I'll either perish altogether or wander about with you in the Reverse World for the rest of eternity. I can't decide which would be worse."

"Because my life is _so_ much easier, isn't it?"

"Your only trouble is that you feel guilty when you lie to people. I feel the same way, and _I'm_ the one who hasn't given the enemy all the information they need."

"It's much more complicated than simply feeling guilty. Haha! What do you know? You don't even have emotions. I don't know why I'm even bothering attempting to explain this to such an unfortunate soul."

"Oh, I suppose that maybe now…you're wishing to angst about _your_ fragile love?"

"That's funny. Sarcasm is funny."

"This is the part where you say I'm wrong."

"You _are_ wrong. I can't comprehend that emotion. I'm interested in that girl, no more, no less, and I've had some thoughts. I figured that, it's as you're always saying, human life is precious. She didn't seem to have done much wrong so maybe she shouldn't die. It's your fault that I met her in the first place, it's you that didn't want to kill her, it's you who persuaded me to give her a chance. And now I agree with you. That's all."

"That's a bad mindset for you to have. Don't start taking pity on her friends. They're asking for it."

"But when you think about it, aren't they only backing the girl up?"

"No. It started that way, I admit, but eventually the other one took the lead and now everything is for the sake of his success."

"But if you follow your logic there, Renee-"

"Don't use her name, you piece of garbage, have you no common sense?"

"…By your own logic, _Harmony _deserves the same punishment as Lucas and Barry had deserved from the beginning. Except maybe Barry has surpassed rudeness and now deserves something much more painful."

"I'm the one who has actually observed them, and I know that Renee shouldn't die." The figure speaking to Kikuchi blushed and averted his eyes. "…And I wasn't happy at all with your choice of words or actions when you last spoke to her. I do hope to kick you before this dream ends."

"I was simply speaking the truth."

"You were speaking in halves. If you hadn't bribed her, she would never speak to you again."

Kikuchi shrugged. "The way the female mind works, eh?"

"Shut up. It's an art."

"Simplicity is an art as well."

"Then maybe you should start being simpler."

**~Deoxys Hunter Squad~**

**Haha, Kikuchi, now everyone hates you again. :D That's much better. Barry made me either want to kick him or give him a big hug, I can't decide. Renee was a bully in this chapter, but she was also bullied, so I guess it's okay.**

**So, progress! Barry's Piplup evolved, Renee got a Sentret, and Lucas, I am so sorry. Now if only they could figure out what they were up against! But wait…Renee already knows, doesn't she? If this doesn't spell "trap" then I don't know what does! But Renee must have a reason for leading them straight into it, right? …Right? ~Furyfur**


End file.
